


Let it be (and be with me)

by 14million_constellations



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Adoption, Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Dreams, Blood, Comforting, Crying, Don't @ Me, Evelyn Parker, Family Bonding, Flash is a bully, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hurt, I'm really bad at tagging, Injury, Iron dad and Spider son, Love, Minor Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Murder, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Pepperony - Freeform, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker has a twin sister, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sibling Bonding, SpideyElle, SpideyElleAU, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark adopts Peter and his sister, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Torture, Who is an original character, and a superhero, but still should be brought up, mentions of torture, minor gore, not major, spoiler (not really), warning for swearing, wumph
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2020-01-14 18:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 71,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18481564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/14million_constellations/pseuds/14million_constellations
Summary: When visiting an orphanage in New York, Tony Stark meets two twins who he can't get out of his head.The Parker's lives have been turned upside down ever since their parents died when they were eight. But when they meet the one and only Tony Stark, they realize things might actually start to look up for them.Tony always thought he was going to be a bad father, but now, he might be willing to change his mind.The Parker's always assumed that they were unable to keep a family, but now, they can finally start to think different.Everyone is equally broken in their own ways, but with each other, they might be able to finally pick up the pieces and properly fit it all together.





	1. One: Tony

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so this is my first work on this site, and I guess you could say I'm nervous about it. I originally wanted this to just be an IronDad fic, but then something else happened... and well, here we are.  
> I'm still pretty new to the site, so still trying to figure stuff out.  
> More important notes at the end!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He knew what it was like to lose everything you’ve ever known.  
> He knew what it was like to be an orphan. Hell, he still knows.  
> Turning back to the two framed pictures of the twins, he knew one thing for certain. He definitely had to meet these children for himself."

“Are you nervous?”

Tony drew his gaze from the scenery out the car window, to Pepper. She was sitting opposite him, one of her slim legs crossed over the other. Tony tried to act nonchalant, even though she had caught him off guard.

“No. Nervous? Of course not.” He lied, laughing with forced humor.

She just smirked. “Mm-hmm.”

“I’m not!”

“Sure, Mr. Clammy Hands.”

“My hands are not-- you know what, I don’t need to sound like a child and argue with you. I’m not nervous.”

Lies. Everything he said was a lie.

“Good,” Pepper remarked, “because we’re here.”

Tony’s gaze instantly darted back out the window, and sure enough, the car pulled to a stop along the curb. He took a breath and stepped out.

He didn’t know why he was nervous. He really shouldn’t be, as he had done visits like these dozens of times. But something about today just felt different.

Tony had decided to donate a generous sum of money to the children wards at a few hospitals around the city, as well as donating to a few of the orphanages. But with him being Tony Stark, Pepper thought it would be a good idea for him to donate the money in person, instead of wiring it electronically.

Something about _"_ _making everything just a little bit more personal, Tony."_

Tony wasn’t opposed to the idea, it just simply made him anxious thinking about having to visit hundreds of different children. Lord knew he didn’t have the best track record with people, and he was nervous about saying something wrong and screwing up in front of the kids.

Pepper told him he would be fine, but he wasn’t sure.

This was the first orphanage they were visiting, and Tony was actually taken aback by the sheer size and overall beauty of the place.

The building was huge. It took up most of the block and was fenced in with a tall, black picket fence that crawled with blooming ivy. It reminded Tony of the private schools he would see upstate and frankly looked out of place in the city amongst the cement and glass towers.

The building itself was one of those older style houses, that was made of red brick and was at least three and a half stories tall. It was speckled with tall windows, and the front entrance was two green, double doors that looked heavy to open.

A sign outside the front gates read _Frederick Williamson’s Home for Children and Youth_.

“Are you sure these people need the money?” Tony whispered to Pepper. “This place could qualify as a mansion.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Yes, Tony,” she hissed through partly clenched teeth. “They are actually quite overcrowded, and were one of the homes the hospital and social worker recommended."

As Tony and Pepper walked onto the property, he could hear children laughing, and he noticed a path leading around the side of the building towards the back. He assumed that there must be some sort of courtyard they were all playing in.

Before they could even reach the front entrance, one of the doors opened, and a forty-something woman with light brown hair stepped out and smiled.

“Hello, welcome,” she greeted Tony and Pepper, shaking both of their hands with an even grip.

 _She must have lots of practice_ , Tony thought to himself. He was suddenly hoping that Pepper was wrong, and his hands were not clammy. _No bad first impressions,_ he could hear his father scold.

“I’m Lisa Staller,” the woman said. “I’m the main caretaker here, we’re so glad you could join us.”

The woman seemed nice, but Tony couldn’t help but notice how everything she said seemed a little over-rehearsed. Like this was the exact speech that she gave everyone who came here.

Tony tried to brush it off.

“Come in,” Lisa said, opening the door behind her once more, “we can talk in my office if you would like. Or if you had something else in mind, that would also be okay.”

She leads Tony and Pepper into the building, and Tony was immediately greeted to the smell of worn wood and pine. The area they were standing in seemed to be some sort of entry hall/waiting room, as there were a few chairs set off to the side, along with a small table and some magazines.

A wide hall stretched on in front of them, and along the right wall, there was a large staircase leading up. To the left, it opened up to a huge living room with couches and armchairs, a television on one wall, and a third wall lined with bookshelves and cabinets.

To the right, another wide doorway opened to show a large dining room. In the middle of the room was maybe one of the biggest tables Tony had ever seen, and dozens of chairs were all pushed in.

Everything felt so homey, and it made him happy.

“We try to keep everything relatively tidy,” Lisa comments, “but that can get tricky from time to time.”

“How many children are you housing?” Pepper asks.

“Thirty-four, currently,” Lisa says. “Three were adopted last month, and you never know who is going to come in.”

Pepper looked around quickly, “How old--?”

“Oh, really depends,” Lisa says with a chuckle, laughing to herself. “Youngest we have right now is four. Oldest is seventeen. But we’ve had younger. All the kids get along though.”

“And is it just you working?” Pepper asks.

Lisa waves her hand, dismissing the question like it was slightly preposterous. “Oh no, I am the main caretaker, but… no, we have about ten staff members that cycle through. Don’t worry. We make ends meet fine.”

Pepper smiles. “Good.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to my office?” Lisa suggests, pointing down the hall with her thumb. “It could be much more--”

“Where are the kids?” Tony butts in.

Pepper flashes him a look that says: _don’t be rude._

Lisa just grins, unphased. “Outside. We like to do outdoor time around one. I’ll show you to them.”

Lisa turns on heel and starts down the hallway. Tony and Pepper follow behind closely.

“Outdoor time,” Tony mutters to himself, “like recess?”

“Tony,” Pepper warns.

Lisa doesn't hear them. Tony shuts his mouth.

The hallway ends just after the staircase and opens into a large kitchen. To the right is the entire appliance set up, along with a giant oven and a kitchen island placed in the middle.

To the left is a normal sized table with only four or five chairs. A door to the backyard is on the far left wall, and Tony can see a giant courtyard and garden out one of the windows.

Sure enough, there are children of different sizes darting around the property gleefully.

Sitting at the kitchen table is a teenage girl with caramel blonde hair and rosy cheeks. She is reading a book, and Tony realizes after a moment that it’s Shakespeare.

It takes her a second before she looks up, and she seems primarily unfazed by who is standing in front of her.

“Hello, Evelyn,” Lisa greets the girl with a warm smile.

Evelyn looks to Lisa, her expression less uneasy once she is looking at someone she knows.

“Hi, Miss. Staller,” Evelyn says, her gaze darting between all three of the adults.

Tony can’t stop looking at her eyes. They are stormy blue, and wide, and rimmed with dark lashes. Maybe it was just because she was partly looking up at him, but he wondered if her eyes were always that large.

“Are you reading Shakespeare?” Lisa asks, even though it was printed in large letters on the book’s cover. “Is that for school?”

Evelyn’s hold on the book shifts. “No, just for fun.”

“Oh, alright. Enjoy.”

“Thank you.”

And with that, Evelyn goes back to reading, and Lisa opens the door to the back yard. Pepper and Tony follow, leaving Evelyn to read by herself.

....

Meeting the children is as eventful as Tony thought it would be.

Most of them knew who he was, but that didn’t necessarily mean they were excited to see him. Some gushed over IronMan, while others were just excited to meet him as him.

The younger ones just looked excited to see someone new.

There were far more boys than girls, but everyone looked happy to play with each other.

The kids were playing something called Manhunt, which Tony would later learn was just an advanced version of tag.

When a young boy asked Tony to play, Lisa tried to get him out of it, but Tony accepted the child’s offer with a smile. As soon as the game started, Tony darted off towards a large grouping of trees and staked out the area until a big group of kids started chasing him, and they tackled him to the ground with fits of laughter.  
Tony laid on the ground and laughed, not caring that he was wearing a very expensive suit and tie.

They played two more rounds before the kids were called over for a snack, and Tony got a break. He joined Pepper and Lisa from where they watched the children, and Pepper chuckled.

“You have-- there,” she said and picked some loose grass from his hair.

Tony laughed, “oh, right.”

Then, something to the right caught Tony’s eye, and he looked over to see Evelyn sitting down on a far bench at the side of the garden. She didn’t have her book with her anymore, as she must have discarded it somewhere else.

She was sitting next to a boy who looked about her age, and he had brown hair and large eyes, just like her. There was definitely something similar between the two, although they looked very different. She had blonde hair, he had brown. She had blue eyes, he had brown.

But they had the same rosy cheeks, same soft smiles, and they were pretty much the same height.

Evelyn said something indistinguishable to the boy, and he replied with something that made her laugh and push him playfully.

Tony almost wished he could hear what they were saying.

Tony must have been staring for too long though because the boy suddenly looked over at him, and when their gazes met, all color drained from the boy’s face, and his already large eyes widened.

Evelyn looked over as well, and Tony felt his stomach jump.

He drew his gaze elsewhere and twiddled his thumbs.

The two teenagers continued to stare at him even as he started up a new conversation with Pepper. He just pretended that he couldn’t feel their gazes burning into his back.

....

Pepper suggested the idea of completing their transaction in Lisa’s office, and the caretaker perked right up at the idea.

And that’s where Tony found himself mere minutes later.

Sitting in an oddly comfortable chair in front of a large, oak desk, in an office that was basked in too little light. The room had been easy to spot and was situated close to the main entrance, so Tony was actually surprised that he didn’t notice it when they first walked in.

There was only one large window to their left, and the blinds were partly closed, so the room felt a little dingy.

Dingy and warm. Tony felt the urge to shrug out of his suit jacket, but he kept it on nonetheless.

Lisa sat opposite him and Pepper, and Pepper pulled out some papers and an envelope. The caretaker accepted them all greatly, and she and Pepper exchanged some words that Tony really didn’t pay attention too, and then Pepper was excusing herself to the washroom.

Then Tony was all too aware that he and Lisa were alone, and he clasped his hands on his lap.

His gaze darted around the room, looking for anything other than the woman’s face. Suddenly, he noticed that the wall to his right was covered in framed photos of various sizes, and he stared at them until Lisa cleared her throat.

“What are these?” Tony asked, his voice less professional then he wanted it to be.

Lisa looked over. “Oh, the kids who stay here all get a photo up on the wall.”

There must have been hundreds.

“These can’t all be current,” Tony remarks, gesturing to the frames.

Lisa laughed. “Oh, goodness no. Most of them don’t live here anymore. Either adopted or got old enough to live on their own. A few of them are current, though.”

As Tony’s eyes scan the wall, his gaze falls on two frames next to each other of matching size. One was of Evelyn, and the other one was of that brown-haired boy she sat next to in the garden.

Tony’s curiosity got the best of him.

“Who are those two?” He points in the direction of Evelyn and the boy. “The boy and the girl. They-- they look familiar.”

It takes a moment for Lisa to find the pictures Tony is talking about, but once she does, her expression softens.

“Oh, Evelyn and Peter. Well, uh, you met Evelyn earlier. She was the girl reading in the kitchen when you came in. Peter is her brother -- _twin_ brother -- and they have been here for a bit.”

_Okay, so that’s why they look so similar. Twins._

“What’s their story?” Tony asked.

He didn’t know if he was pushing boundaries, but Pepper wasn’t back yet, and he really didn’t want to sit in any more awkward silence.

Suddenly, Lisa’s face falls. “Um, their story… oh, that’s not necessarily a good one.”

Tony’s curiosity was definitely peaked now. “What? What happened?”

Lisa folds her hands over each other on the top of the desk, her eyes sorrowful. “Mr. Stark, I’ve met a lot of kids in my career… kids who have been through so bad times. But with these two… they are only fifteen and their lives have been truly tragic.”

Tony doesn't say anything. He wants her to continue.

She does. “Around the age of eight, their parents both died in a horrible plane crash. They both instantly went to live with their aunt and uncle, and… their uncle was murdered in front of Peter when they were eleven, and then Evelyn and their aunt were in a car accident when they were thirteen. Their aunt didn't make it. She died on impact. Evelyn was okay, but… Mr. Stark, I wish I could tell you that this gets better, but…

“They then both went to live with their mother’s sister, but they didn’t make it long with her before she was arrested and sent to serve time in prison. After that, they bounced in and out of foster care, but… nothing has ever lasted for them because it’s just too much for families and homes to take in two teenagers at a time. Then, four months ago, they arrived here, and haven't really made friends with anyone outside each other."

Tony was at a loss of words.

God, and he thought he had it bad.

“Yo-- you said they were fifteen?” Tony stammered, trying to wrap his head around what he just heard.

“Yes.” Lisa nodded her head.

Pepper still wasn’t back. Tony wondered what could be taking her so long.

“They’re pretty reserved,” Lisa said, obviously still talking about Evelyn and Peter. “It’s sad to think about. Those two have lost everyone in their lives, yet, they are two of the smartest, happiest, most charismatic children I have met. They only have each other, and at this point, I am pretty sure they have both completely given up on the idea of getting adopted.”

“ _Completely?_ ”

Lisa sighed. “Well, they never stay in foster care for more than two weeks, and this is the longest they have ever been in a home… I definitely haven't given up hope, but I can’t say the same for them.”

Tony grit his teeth, but not because he was angry at anyone. He was just frustrated with the situation.

From what he’d just heard about these two, he was filled with a deep sympathy for them.

He knew what it was like to lose everything you’ve ever known.

He knew what it was like to be an orphan. _Fuck,_ he still knows.

Turning back to the two framed pictures of the twins, he knew one thing for certain. He definitely had to meet these children for himself.


	2. Two: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then she remembers that she wasn’t alone. “Aunt May,” Evelyn says, forcing her voice up and out. “You ‘kay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is a flash back chapter, if that wasn't obvious. 
> 
> *Warning for character death*

_Three years prior:_

 

A crash. A slam.

A scream.

A buzzing. Wind, rain hitting burning skin.

Ringing. Head swimming. Groaning, someone was groaning. Wait, no, she was the one groaning.

Darkness.

 _Who turned the lights off? Was it Aunt May?_ Why would she do that, she knew Evelyn hated the dark.

Oh, her eyes were just closed. _Open your eyes if you don’t like the dark, silly._

But her eyelids felt heavy, and her facial muscles didn’t want to cooperate. Eventually, she wrenched her eyes open and light met her vision, causing her to wince and cry out slightly.

Suddenly, her ears were greeted with the sound of distant sirens, and she was confused momentarily.

_Are those sirens for me? But I only hit my head._

The world spun, and she reached out to get her bearings. But when she blindly gropes to her right, her hand comes in contact with something sharp, and she yelps in pain when she can feel glass and metal cut into her palm.

“Crap,” she mumbles.

Her voice seems raw and broken, and it burns her throat to use.

And then she remembers that she wasn’t alone. “Aunt May,” Evelyn says, forcing her voice up and out. “You ‘kay?”

Her head aches, but she looks to the left where Aunt May should be seated. Where the driver's side is. But what she is greeted with makes her breath catch in her throat.

The front windshield is smashed to bits -- the reason the rain is falling into the car -- and Aunt May is hanging half in and half out. Her entire body strewn across the dashboard and onto the hood of the vehicle.

She is lying face down, so Evelyn can’t see if her eyes are open or not, yet she still knows the answer to the one question she doesn't want an answer too.

Evelyn suddenly can’t feel anything anymore.

Her eyes burn as she stares at her aunt, unblinking, and tears build, blurring her vision slightly.

“Aunt May…?” She whimpers.

She doesn't get a response.

The only noises are from the rain hitting the wrecked vehicle and the quickly approaching sirens.

A sob builds in Evelyn’s chest, but she won’t let it escape. If she let it out, there would be nothing to keep her from falling into pieces, and she couldn’t do that without Peter. If she fell apart without Peter, there would be no one there to piece her back together again.

Then her world is filled with too much of everything.

Too much movement, too much noise, and too many new and unwelcomed smells.

The vehicle is swarmed with EMT’s and police officers, and so many people are talking to her, and there are unknown hands ripping off the passenger side door, and someone is cutting through Evelyn’s seat belt. With a burst of panic, she suddenly feels as though she will black out.

But she can’t pull her gaze from Aunt May, and Evelyn yelps when the paramedics slowly start to remove May’s body from the hood of the car.

“Wait! No-- you gotta-- Aunt May!” Evelyn calls, yet her voice is feeble and threatening to shatter at any moment.

The paramedics don’t hear the girl shouting after them, and then Aunt May is gone. Evelyn sits in stunned silence, not recognizing the hot tears trailing down her cheeks.

“Honey, honey, hey, sweetheart,” an EMT is talking to her, while a second one stands by impatiently. “Honey, can you hear me?” The woman’s voice is soft, but it pains Evelyn’s over-sensitive ears.

“Maybe she’s deaf,” the second EMT comments, his tone dull.

The first EMT flashes him a look over her shoulder.

Evelyn looks to them slowly. Tears still stream down her cheeks, trailing down her neck and seeping into the collar of her shirt. She doesn't know what to say.

“Aunt May?” Evelyn croaks, her mind fuzzy.

“See, she’s not deaf, Walker,” the woman stares at Evelyn, even though her statement is directed to the second paramedic. “We’re going to get you out of here, sweetheart.”

The second part is directed to Evelyn.

All the girl says is, “okay.”

She barely reacts when the woman gently pulls out her legs first, then takes the rest of the child into her strong arms. The woman carries Evelyn back towards the road, and out of the ditch. The rain beats down on them softly, and Evelyn stares at the wreckage of the car sitting now far behind them.

By the time they reach the ambulance, she could hardly even see it in the dark tree line.

They wrap her up in a blanket, her body stiff and trembling. Someone hands her a water bottle that she holds, but doesn't drink. The man who thought she was deaf patches up a cut on her forehead that had stopped bleeding.

The woman that took her from the car -- Evelyn would later learn that her name is Marian -- sat down next to her and the two sat in silence for a few long moments.

“Feeling better?” Marian asked. Her dark hair was wet from the rain.

Evelyn couldn’t find a proper answer to that. She shrugged through her shivers and made a noise that seemed to say: I don’t know.

Marian didn’t seem content with that but didn’t push Evelyn to answer.

“So, do you have a name?” Marian asked.

Evelyn took a minute. “Evelyn Parker,” she said softly.

Her throat still burned.

Marian smiled. “Good. I’m Marian.”

Evelyn then turned her head to look up at the woman. Her eyes were wide and filled with a silent plea. Fresh tears formed in the corners.

“M-- My Aunt M-- May,” her voice shook on every syllable, “is sh-she okay?”

Marian's face darkened with dread, and that was all the answer Evelyn needed. The child’s bottom lip trembled, and she clenched it in her teeth, biting down hard enough to draw blood.

She could feel eyes on her, and her skin burned as tears cascaded down her face. She threw her arms over her head, covering herself with the blanket, and trying her hardest to muffle the sobs that shook her body.

She could feel a hand on her back, the distant sounds of someone shushing her gently.

She curled in on herself and wept, feeling pitiful.

And then, she couldn’t feel anything at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I didn't expect the first chapter to pick up as fast as it did, especially in less then 24 hours. I know I said I would wait a bit, but I got excited, so... here's the second chapter.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> (Also, sorry that this one is a little shorter. The next one is much longer.)


	3. Three: Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He’s a genius,” Evelyn says suddenly, cutting her brother off. 
> 
> Tony’s eyes widen a bit, but he continues to smile. “He is?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is much longer than before.  
> Enjoy!

The whole ride home, Tony was quiet.

Pepper didn’t have anything to do, and she sat in silence for the first twenty-seven minutes. Finally, she sighed and looked over to where Tony was staring out the window.

“So,” she said, breaking the silence. “I think that went well.”

Tony was jolted out of his thoughts and looked over at her quickly, almost not catching what she said.

She stares at him expectantly, and he blinks, trying to refocus his eyes.

“Oh, uh, yeah. It went great.”

Pepper smiled. “I’m glad you think so. Only six more to visit.”

She would have expected Tony to roll his eyes at that -- it was such a _Tony_ reaction -- but he still didn’t look totally there.

“Yeah, six more…” he mumbled, his gaze drifting back out the window.

He couldn’t get the thought of Evelyn and Peter out of his head. What a terrible life those children were leading, and they were only fifteen. He didn’t even know their last name; in his mind, he was mentally kicking himself.

But there was something about them that seemed so familiar… almost weirdly familiar.

As soon as the car pulled up to the front doors of the compound, Tony’s hand was on the door handle, and they weren't even in park yet. When it was safe, he threw off his seat belt, whipped open the door, and speed walked towards the entrance.

He could hear Pepper following after him, as she greeted someone Tony didn’t recognize as soon as they walked in, but Tony brushed off the interaction and headed towards the elevators.

“Welcome home, sir,” Friday said as Tony ascended up and towards his lab.

“Hey, Fri,” Tony muttered, and the doors of the elevator opened with a swoosh.

Tony power walked to his lab, happy that there was no one to stop him as he went, and slipped in after punching in his four-digit code.

“Fri, pull up files for children living in a _Fredrick Williamson’s_ orphanage in New York.” He said, directing it towards the ceiling. He sat down in a large wheely chair in front of a giant monitor.

The screen glowed suddenly, and then hundreds of files were being pulled up.

“Anyone specific, sir?” Friday asked.

“An Evelyn and Peter. They still live there.”

“Do they have a last name?” Friday said, already discarding the files of children not matching Tony’s vague description.

Tony was kicking himself again. “Um, yes… I just don’t know it.”

“Alright, would these be them?”

Two files remained on screen, and with it came two photos of a teenage boy and girl. _Peter and Evelyn._ Tony smiled and nodded, knowing Friday would take that as an affirmative. She could see him… in some sense.

The photos must have been passport photos or something along those lines because neither of the children was smiling in them. They both just looked very… sad. Actually, the more Tony stared at Peter’s, it just made him want to laugh. The boy didn’t look ready for the photo, and his expression was off. Like the flash caught him off guard.

It looked like the many elementary school photo fails Tony knows too well, and would not like to relive.

At the top, their names were printed in large, bold letters.

_Peter Benjamin Parker. Evelyn Leeanne Parker._

_Fifteen years old. DOB: May 26th, 2001._

Tony’s eyes skim over all of the information at the top until he gets to the part about their family. Then he makes sure to take everything in.

_Parents: Leah Turner and Richard Parker. Deceased. Both died in a plane crash in 2009. Direct relatives: May Parker, aunt, deceased. Benjamin Parker, uncle, deceased. Jen Hopper, aunt, alive, currently in residence at Hendrick Mills Penitentiary. Katelyn Turner, grandmother, deceased…_

Tony leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes and sighing roughly.

_Do these kids have anyone left?_

After a few more minutes of reading, Tony found out that the answer was no. These two were completely, and totally alone.

He wanted to keep reading, but everything about the twin’s life was just so sad. Suddenly, something caught his eye. Under their parent’s job description… _was that_ … Richard Parker had worked as a head of research and development… and at Stark Industries.

Their father had worked for him.

No wonder they seemed too familiar.

If Tony was mentally kicking himself before, this was like a harsh punch to the stomach.

....

Dinner was just him and Pepper, and Tony was glad.

It’s not that Tony didn’t enjoy eating with the team, it’s just that if anyone else was there and he brought up Evelyn and Peter, they would definitely get suspicious, and then Clint or Sam would start calling him _Dad._

“So… today,” Tony began, twirling his pasta on his fork. His eyes were distant.

Pepper looked up from her plate, obviously confused about where this was going.

Tony was suddenly rethinking what to say.

“I met some kids today,” he commented dumbly.

Pepper let out a cute laugh, that seemed a little like a snort. “Yeah, Tony. I think you met a lot of kids today. What are you getting at?”

“Do you remember Richard Parker?”

“I recognize the name. Why? Was he someone important to you?”

“I don’t really know,” Tony said, being honest. “But, he worked for the company. Head of research and development. He died in 2009.”

Pepper gives a tiny smile. “Now that you put it that way, I do remember him. Kinda.”

“Um, anyway,” Tony said, watching Pepper take a bite of her dinner. “I met his kids today. Well, met one.”

Pepper looked curious. “His children are orphans?”

“Yeah. One of them was that girl, Evelyn. The one who was reading Shakespeare for fun.”

“How many does he have?”

“Two. Evelyn and her twin brother, Peter.”

“Which one is older?”

Tony stares at Pepper quizzically. “Why does it matter?”

“Just tell me. I’m curious.”

“Okay. Peter is, I’m pretty sure.”

“Thank you.”

Tony is quiet again. He doesn't really know where to go with this conversation now.

Thankfully, Pepper speaks. “Do you want to do something about this?”

“About what?”

“About the Parker kids. You seem really interested in them.”

“I’m just-- Lisa told me about their past and, it’s just really sad, Pep. These kids, they’re only fifteen, and they’ve already lost every single important person in their lives. But Lisa told me that they are some of the happiest children she has ever met, and all they have left is each other. They’re kids, and somehow… somehow they persevere.”

Tony is now aware that his eyes are burning, and he blinks four or five times quick.

He clears his throat. “I guess I’m just fascinated, that’s all.”

Pepper smiles warmly. “ _Just_ fascinated? That’s all?”

He drums his fingers on the table top. “Yep. That’s it.”

“Okay, so why don’t you go back and see them again?” Pepper suggests.

“Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“I don’t think so, I don’t think the orphanage is ever opposed to volunteers. Besides, you might have fun.”

Tony laughs to himself, and his shoulders bounce. “Yeah. Maybe.”

....

As it turns out, the orphanage was not opposed to volunteers.

In fact, Lisa was overjoyed to hear from Tony again and said that they would love to have him back anytime, even just for a visit.

So that’s how he found himself sitting in one of his sleek, black cars, and pulling up to the home full of the same nervousness he felt the last time he visited here. Except for this time, it for a different reason.

His leg bounced as the vehicle slowed to a stop, but he didn’t make any immediate actions to get out.

Happy flashed Tony a look in the rearview mirror, and Tony nodded his head, half out of apology. Happy didn’t seem to care, as his eyes flicked to something across the street, and tried to make himself look busy.

Tony tried to swallow down the lump in his throat and pushed open the door.

 _Come on, Tony_ , his conscience chastised him, _buck up. You’ve been through so much worse._

As soon as he was standing on the sidewalk, Happy was driving down the street, and then disappearing into the flow of traffic. And for some reason, Tony couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of loneliness.

At least the last time he was here, he had Pepper. But not today; not now.

“This is stupid,” he grumbled, shaking his shoulders and trying to rid himself of the feeling.

Finally, he walked through the front gates and up to the entrance of the home. He let himself in, as no one came out to greet him.

He was instantly welcomed with a house full of noise and laughter. Children milled about the rooms, and he watched as they played and chatted in large groups, almost as if they were all just one big family.

No one even seemed to notice that he was standing there, waiting.

After a few minutes, Lisa made her way down the stairs and he gave a friendly wave in greeting. She smiled, and the first thing he noticed was that she looked slightly more disheveled than the first time they had met.

“Mr. Stark,” she said happily, “good to see you again.”

“You were expecting me, right?” Tony asked, hoping not to sound pushy.

She gave a breathy laugh. “Of course, things have just been a little busy today.”

“Oh?”

“No, well, I mean-- when are things never not busy here?”

Tony removed his sunglasses and slipped them in the front pocket of his jacket. “Would you like some help?”

She dismissed his suggestion with a wave. “Oh, no. It’s fine. But I’m sure the kids would like some company. They seemed to have fun with you the first time you were here.”

Tony smiled slightly at the memory. “Of course.”

Suddenly, a high pitched voice from the other room was calling Lisa’s name, and her head whipped towards the noise. She looked back to Tony, face full of apology. “I’m sorry, I have to go--”

“No worries,” Tony said, “I’m sure I can find my way around.”

“Perfect,” and with that, she was off.

Tony wandered around the house slowly, observing the children as they went about their activities, and all of them seemed so wrapped up that they never even realized that he was standing there. A few kids were playing a game of cards at the large dining table; a few younger ones were running around with cardboard swords and fairy wings, and three six-year-olds were sitting on the floor of the kitchen and coloring.

Yet in the mess of it all, Tony couldn’t find what he originally came looking for.

Finally, as Tony stepped out the back door and into the expansive yard, he spotted two figures hidden near a patch of trees.

Making his way over to them, Tony could help but notice how insanely gorgeous the backyard was, but it only made sense considering the house behind him. The whole yard was walled in with trees, helping to block out the ugly scape of the city, and off to the side was a pond that looked as though it contained some shimmering fish.

The grass was lush and green, and flowers grew in long beds. The whole garden felt incredibly out of place considering where the home was located.

Tony tried to keep as quiet as possible, but he didn’t want to scare the two kids.

He walked with his hands in his pockets and trying not to make it overly obvious that he was eavesdropping.

“--and I was like, “what! How could you ever think that? We’re talking about atoms here, James!” Gosh, he was so embarrassed.” Peter said with a laugh, and Tony realized that the boy was sitting up in one of the trees.

Evelyn was sprawled out on a blanket below the tree, staring up her brother on his branch.

“You know, Pete, I don’t really get your science jokes. So that story was really only entertaining for one of us.” She laughs a little, and she wiggles her toes under her blue socks.

“Well, what do you want to talk about?” Peter asked, his voice filtering down to the ground.

“I don’t know,” Evelyn says, “just not your AP Physics class.”

“That was AP Chemistry,” Peter corrects, “but I do have stories about Physics class.”

Evelyn groans. “What did I just say?”

“I like chemistry,” Tony says with a smile.

For the first time, both of the teenagers have realized that Tony was standing there, and they snap to attention. Evelyn sits up quickly, and Peter is jumping to the ground with impressive speed. Tony is surprised that he didn’t hurt himself, especially considering the fact that he was sitting on one of the higher branches.

Tony tries to shake it off, and appear as natural as possible.

“I’ll hear your story,” Tony says, “I like chemistry.”

Peter suddenly blushes, and when he opens his mouth, it takes a few seconds for him to speak. “Oh, no, it-- it’s okay. It wasn’t actually that great.”

“Really?”

“Uh, yeah. It was just about atoms…” Peter’s voice trails and he stares at Tony with a mix of confused and awestruck.

Evelyn still hasn’t said anything.

“So,” Tony starts with a grin, “you like science.”

Peter gulps, then laughs nervously. “Yeah, totally. I love all that stuff. Science, math, engineering, technol--”

“He’s a genius,” Evelyn says suddenly, cutting her brother off.

Tony’s eyes widen a bit, but he continues to smile. “He is?”

“Definitely. Well, I mean, to my standards he is.” She bites the inside of her cheek, and Tony has to hold back a chuckle.

“What do you like?” Tony asks, looking to Evelyn. “Is science your thing, too? Are you also a genius?”

Evelyn pushes herself to her feet and steps a bit closer to her brother.

 _Out of comfort_ , Tony thinks to himself.

“No. I… I am definitely not a genius,” her words slightly indecisive. “I don’t really do science.”

“You don’t do science?” Tony says, questioning her further.

“Um, no--” she stammers.

“But Evelyn likes other stuff!” Peter says quickly, doing the same thing his sister did by cutting her off. “She likes to read, and write, and she’s super good at art, and she can do some cool dance moves, and--”

“Pete, stop,” Evelyn says, bumping his hand with her own, and trying to not look embarrassed.

Tony could tell that these two really loved each other.

“Kinda like a left brain, right brain, thing.” Tony comments, gesturing between the two siblings.

They both give small laughs.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Evelyn says.

“Um, we were going to play cards… you wanna join?” Peter asks, giving an inviting smile.

Tony feels his heart warm slightly at the kid, and he nods. “Sure. I’d love too.”

He sits down between the two on the blanket, the three of them sitting in sort of a triangle formation and Peter starts dealing out a hand of cards. They begin with Cheat, and Tony realizes that he’s not as good as he once thought he was.

Tony was happy to realize that the two teenagers started to relax as they played more, and even started talking without being prompted. They exchanged small, witty remarks, and Tony was glad when they started to tell him about themselves and what was going on in their day to day lives.

Almost as if he just another visitor, and _not_ Tony Stark. The man himself.

After multiple hands, and four different games, the three of them were taking turns telling bad jokes, and Evelyn and Peter were doubling over in laughter. Tony just smiled.

He couldn’t remember why he was so nervous in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I am having so much fun writing this story, and have like, the next five chapters already mapped out.  
> Heads up, the next chapter will be really emotional, but I love it, so... I'll make sure that it's posted soon.  
> Might come up with some kind of schedule for chapter posting, but still thinking on what day is best. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


	4. Four: Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Okay, be back in a minute.” 
> 
> “Love you,” Peter calls after him, but he’s sure that Ben doesn't hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... another flashback chapter.  
> I promise that all Evelyn and Peter chapters won't just be flashbacks. These are just important parts of their backstory, and I want to introduce it early. 
> 
> *HUGE TRIGGER WARNING: MURDER, SLIGHT GORE & CHARACTER DEATH*

_ Four years prior _

 

“I just gotta pay,” Ben says, talking to Peter through the open car window. “I’ll be back in a minute.” 

“Okay,” Peter agrees and grins, the fatigue evident in his brown eyes. 

Ben gives a knowing smile. “Then we’ll go right home and get you into bed.” 

“I’m not tired,” Peter protests softly. 

“Sure, tell that to all the yawning you were doing earlier,” Ben chuckles as Peter suddenly yawns, proving his point. “Okay, be back in a minute.” 

“Love you,” Peter calls after him, but he’s sure that Ben doesn't hear it.

Sitting back in the chair with a sigh, Peter’s eyes fall on the bright numbers of the digital clock. 9:56. The blue glow of the digits almost seems to seer into his vision as his eyelids slowly fall closed. 

_God,_ he was tired. 

_But a few minutes couldn’t hurt, right?_ He could at least just rest his eyes until Uncle Ben returns… 

But just as darkness falls across his vision, a gunshot sounds and then a loud scream rips through the night air. Peter bolts up so fast his seat belt snaps back, and he is flung back into the leather seat.

Peter looks around frantically, searching for the source of the noise, and his eyes find two figures standing just outside of the entrance of the gas station.

One of the men was cast in shadow, his stance tall and slightly shaky as he stares down at the other man. 

The second man was doubled over, holding his abdomen in what looked like pain, and a sickening groan drifts from him and towards Peter. 

The light the gas station provided was minimal, but in the yellow glow from the windows, Peter could make out that the hunched over man was wearing Ben’s green coat and dark blue Levi’s. Peter could even see the red patch May sewed into the knee from where he was sitting.  

Peter’s hands trembled as he ripped off his seatbelt and threw open the door, all thoughts of sleep instantly wiped from his mind. 

“Uncle Ben!” He screamed and dashed from the car. 

The shadowed man took one look at Peter and bolted. He raced down the street and into the darkness, he exhales loud with every stomp on the broken concrete. 

Peter couldn’t care less. 

As soon as he was at his Uncle’s side, he was helping the man to his knees, the stench of blood already strong in Peter’s nostrils. The smell was surprising, and when Peter inhaled, he had to push past his urge to gag. 

“Peter,” his uncle urged through clenched teeth, “go back to the car.”  

“What, no!” Peter cried, his two smaller hands gripping Ben’s coat sleeve for dear life. “I’m not going!” 

“Please, Peter--” Ben started, but cut himself off with a wince. He held his hands to the wound on his stomach, but he couldn’t stop the blood streaming through his fingers. 

Peter felt the tears blooming in his eyes, and a sob ripped through him involuntarily.

There was sweat on Ben’s forehead, and his face was going a ghostly pale. His glasses started slipping down the bridge of his nose, and when Peter reached out to push them back up, the boy noticed his fingers were trembling. 

Suddenly, the door to the gas station flew open, and a man who must have been the clerk stepped out. Peter looked up to him in panic, and the tears started to roll down his cheeks. 

“I called nine-one-one,” the clerk said, his face cast in half shadow, and Peter couldn’t help but think of the shadowed man who had fled a few minutes earlier. 

The child trembled. 

Then, there was someone wiping his tears away, and Peter snapped back to reality to find Ben holding the child's cheek in his bloody palm. 

Peter reached up and gripped the man’s hand with his own, his bottom lip trembling childishly. His tears continued to fall, and they rolled right over Ben’s stiff hand, the water mixing with blood, and dripping off the boy’s chin.   

The pain was evident in Ben’s once bright eyes, but Peter could tell that the man was shoving down any signs of distress to not upset his nephew. 

It didn’t matter. Peter could see the inevitable. 

“Un-- Uncle Ben,” Peter whimpered, wanting nothing more than to fall into his Uncle’s embrace. “Ple-- please don’t…” 

His Uncle smiled softly. Surprisingly, it didn’t look forced, although it was filled with sadness. 

“Oh, Pete. Please don’t be sad.” His voice is hoarse. 

“Please… please don’t-- don't leave me--” the boy stammered, his hiccuping sobs making it hard for him to speak. “Don’t leave May. We-- we need you.” 

“It’s okay… it’s okay, Pete.” 

Ben’s glasses shift once again, but this time, Peter doesn't fix them. There is no way he is letting go of his Uncle. 

“Please don’t be sad,” Ben repeats, his voice more a whisper now. “Please, bud, for me.” 

Peter sniffles, his face wrinkling as he tries to hold back tears. “Okay, I-- I’ll try.” 

In any other situation, Ben would have found this cute. Now, it just tugged on his heartstrings. 

“Love you,” Peter whispers, his fingertips lightly dragging across his Uncle’s wrist. “I love you, Uncle Ben.” 

For a second, it almost looked like life was igniting in Ben’s eyes once more. “I love you too, Peter.”

And then the light was gone. 

Extinguishing quicker than someone blowing out a candle. The wick still smoking; the scent of drifting life filling every inch of Peter and suffocating him. 

A strangled gasp left the eleven-year old’s chest, and tears flowed down his face so fast that he could hardly see. 

After that, almost everything was a blur.

An ambulance rolled into the parking lot, sirens blaring and lights spinning, but Peter paid them no attention. He was still holding his Uncle, too afraid to let go because he knew that he would never be able to grasp onto him again. 

But it didn’t matter how hard he held on because soon enough, paramedic’s were ripping the man from the child’s hands, and pulling him onto a gurney. 

Peter screamed and cried for them to bring him back, but then there were strong arms holding him still, and the child sobbed, far too close to hyperventilation. 

“Uncle Ben!” Peter shouted after the paramedics, “Please, no! Uncle Ben!”

“Calm down, bud,” someone said to him. It was the man who was holding him back.

“No!” Peter hiccuped. “No--”

He couldn’t continue. His chest heaved, and he watched as the EMT’s slammed the ambulance doors shut, taking off down the street in a flash.  

And Peter crumpled. 

The man with strong arms carried him to a police car, and Peter curled in on himself, not willing to look at anyone the whole ride back into the city. He kept his eyes shut as he was brought into the hospital, and wouldn’t look, even when he could hear May’s voice. 

When he was put into May’s arms, she was shaking and cold. 

But she held Peter tighter then she had ever held him before, and together, they curled up on the linoleum of the hospital waiting room and sobbed.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, please don't hate me too much... but I did enjoy writing it. 
> 
> Also, I think I might start posting these weekly on Saturdays. So these won't be as sporadic as they have been.
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments make my week!


	5. Five: Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What? Surprise you? Do you understand what I just walked in on?!"
> 
> Peter rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah… how crazy was that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff is starting to pick up. 
> 
> Are these chapters too long? I don't care, they're fun to write.  
> Might shorten future ones to spread out content.

When Tony wakes up, his room is bathed in yellow sunlight, and he is cold.

Even though it is early April, and surprisingly warm, there is a chill that runs over Tony’s spine. But when he turns over, he figures out the reason why.

Pepper’s side of the bed is empty.

Pepper has always been there to keep him warm. Even when his cold feet touch her’s in the middle of the night and she complains about his unnatural body temperatures, Tony relies on her to keep him warm.

Now he was close to shivering.

He rolls out of bed and pulls on a pair of socks and a hoodie. Okay, that was a bit better.

Friday informs him that it is 10:27 a.m. as he makes his way down the hall and towards the elevator. He starts descending as soon as the doors have closed, and the floor count ticks down one, then two before stopping.

As soon as the double doors slide open, he can hear voices drifting from the common room.

The common room was a huge room that was shared by everyone. Half of it was a giant, luxury kitchen, and the other half was their open concept living room. A huge flat screen television, state of the art sound system, and a few big couches and armchairs.  

No, it wasn’t Stark Tower, but it did still belong to Tony. He was going to make sure they all still lived as comfortably as possible.

As soon as Tony stepped in, he immediately picked Pepper out of the group of people scattered around and lounging.

She was pouring coffee into two mugs, and he hoped that one of them was for him.

He walked over just as she turned around, and her face lit up.

Tony would never get tired of that look.

“Hey,” she greeted, and he kissed her cheek. “You’re awake.”

“I thought sleeping beauty was never going to join us,” Sam commented from his place at the breakfast bar. He had a newspaper laid out in front of him, and it looked like he was working on the crossword puzzle.

“Oh, shut it, Wilson,” Tony said and took his mug from Pepper. “It’s only ten thirty, I once saw you sleep for twenty-eight hours straight.”

“But I guess this means that you did get some sleep last night, right?” Pepper asks. “I don’t remember you coming to bed.”

“Yes,” Tony assured her, “I did get sleep. Don’t worry.”

She smiles. “Good.”

Tony walks over to the overly large dining table situated beside a wall of windows and sits down in one of the chairs. Wanda and Natasha are already sitting there, both with breakfasts of their own.

Wanda gives Tony a warm smile that he reciprocates.

Natasha seems lost in something on her phone.

“Oh, I forgot to ask yesterday,” Pepper starts, leaning against the breakfast bar counter. “But how did it go at the orphanage? Did you get to talk to those kids?”

Tony was about to answer her when Clint suddenly walks into the room, his facial features tired.

“Who went to an orphanage?” Clint asks, trying to join the conversation like he was there the whole time.

Tony has to resist rolling his eyes at the interruption.

“Tony did,” Pepper says.

“I thought you were done with that.” Sam comments, spinning towards the group on his barstool.

“He went back to one we already visited,” Pepper informs, and Tony tries to shoot her a look that says: _honey, be quiet._

Clint’s head whips towards Tony. “Why were you doing that, Stark? You in the market for a kid?”

Tony’s eyes narrow. “I’m not in the market for anything. And don’t say _“in the market for a kid”_ , it just sounds wrong.”

Clint crosses his arms over his chest. “So why did you go back?”

“To be nice, I guess. Why shouldn’t I?”

Sam looks at Clint, then looks at Tony. “Just doesn't seem like the kind of thing you would do.”

Tony grips his mug tightly. “Well, maybe you don’t know me as well as you think, Sam.”

The underside of Sam’s eye twitches momentarily, but then he spins back around and directs his gaze to his newspaper, backing out of the conversation before it became an argument.

“Should we start calling you, Dad?” Clint asks, mockingly.

Tony knew Clint was just doing this to get under his skin, and he tried not to show how much it was getting to him.

It wasn’t even an insult, that’s what was so stupid about it. But with Clint’s tone, it just ticked Tony off more than anything.

“No, you shouldn’t,” Tony says, his eyes cast elsewhere.

They ended up falling on Wanda. Wanda was looking at Clint though, her gaze sending him a warning, and Tony couldn’t help but think of Pepper and when she would give him looks like that.

“Clint, come on,” Natasha says.

Tony assumed she wasn’t listening, but then he remembers that you should never assume anything about Natasha.

Clint chuckles to himself. “Nat, it's just for fun--”

“Clint. Cool it. Seriously.” Natasha was now sending him that same warning stare that Wanda has, and Tony can actually hear Clint snap his mouth closed.

“I’m going to get dressed,” Tony says and stands from the table. “Thanks for the coffee, Pep,” he says, kissing his fiancee on the cheek.

He exits the room before anyone can protest him leaving.

 

….

 

Tony makes sure to sneak out quietly, as to avoid Clint or Sam, and Happy gets the hint that he is to make a quick exit.

Tony sends Pepper a quick message to let her know that he has left, and she responds with a single text.

_“Alright. I love you.”_

He sighs in slight relief and falls back into the leather of the car seat. The car still has that strange new-car-smell even though it has been under Happy’s ownership for well over a year.

Tony inhales deeply.

After a few minutes of driving through the Upstate New York streets, Tony finally catches Happy looking at him in the rearview mirror.

“Eyes on the road, Happ,” Tony says, his voice slightly monotone. “I don’t need you ruining your perfect driving record with an accident because you were staring at me.”

Happy ignore the taunt, although his gaze does flick forward for a few seconds.

“You okay, boss?” He asks, his tone was actually genuine.

Tony tries to stifle the sigh. “Yeah. Peachy.”

In all honesty, Tony wasn’t _just_ _peachy._ Clint’s words were still in the back of his mind, and it was driving him slightly wild. He didn’t need that kind of taunting from Clint, especially under _his_ _own roof._

The fact that Clint was acting like this -- trying to get under Tony’s skin and set him off -- felt entirely inappropriate. The whole argument of the accords was finally feeling like it was begging to come to an end.

Tony had invited Cap and the rest of the Avengers back to the compound to stay, hoping that maybe they could all bond as a team once again. It was a step no one expected Tony to make, yet he was the one who suggested it, and him alone.

But Tony couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of resentment when he was going so far out of his comfort zone to make things right, and people like clint only cared about setting him off.

As he thought about it now, he just remembered what Rhodey told him about anger management, and took some deep breaths.

As he stared out the window, he was trying to convince himself that he was calm.

_You’re calm. You’re calm. Stay calm, and you’ll be okay._

Happy was still eyeing him in the mirror.

“Okay,” the bodyguard hesitantly agreed. “Peachy.”

 

….

 

When Happy dropped Tony off outside the orphanage, the building looked unnaturally quiet.

Even though this was only Tony’s third time visiting the home, he had started to become accustomed to the lively energy it portrayed. There was laughter or voices coming from the building, and sometimes a bit of music.

When Tony left the home the last time he visited, he said that he would definitely come back, and Lisa was pleased with that.

But now, standing outside the front gates, he couldn’t hear any voices or laughter, and it confused him.

_Where had everyone gone?_

Happy left when Tony instructed him too and Tony only pushed through the gates once the black car was out of view. The front doors were locked, which only made Tony wonder more. Did Lisa take all the kids on some kind of trip?

After a few moments of standing on the steps, he could suddenly make out faint talking, and his heart picked up when he realized they were coming from the backyard.

With careful steps, he walked around the building towards the yard, and the voices only got louder. He could pick out two different people; a boy and a girl.

When he finally rounded the corner and pushed open the gate to the yard, what he saw almost caused him to pass out.

Either pass out or send him into a heart attack from shock. Definitely one of the two.

Evelyn was flying.

The girl was hovering mid-air about fifteen or so feet above the ground. Her blonde hair was floating around her shoulders like it was whipping in the wind, and both of her hands were held out as if she was conjuring something.

Her back was to Tony, and she hadn’t noticed him standing there gaping yet.

“Holy shit,” was all Tony said, and even though his voice was low, it was enough to alert her of his presence.  

She whipped around, her eyes wide in shock and all color draining from her face.

“Oh my god,” she said and quickly lowered herself to the ground. “Mr. Stark.”

He was still gaping, his mouth partly hanging open.  

Suddenly, a quick motion close to Tony had him jumping back as Peter literally _leaped off_ the side of the orphanage wall and landed on _two feet_ like it was nothing.

Tony was surprised that all of this hadn’t sent him into cardiac arrest.

“Mr. Stark… hi.” Peter said, almost as if he was trying to act that nothing had happened. “What a surprise.”

Tony snapped out of his shock.

“What?  _Surprise_ _you_ ? Do you understand what I just walked in on? Your sister was just _flying_ , and you just _jumped_ off the side of a _building_!”

Peter rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah… how crazy was that?”

“Don’t try to brush this off as nothing, kid!” Tony exclaimed, taking a step towards Peter. The teen almost seemed to shrink backward, but Tony pressed on. “I need answers, now.”

Suddenly, Evelyn stepped up to stand next to her brother.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone,” a new assertiveness entering her voice that Tony hadn’t heard her use before.

He stiffly nodded in agreement.

“Peter and I are sorta… superheroes.”

Tony almost scoffed.

“Superheros?” He asked.

Now it was her turn to nod. “Yeah. Um, have you heard of Spider-Man and Elementa?”

Tony could feel his expression of doubt fall. Actually, _yes_ , he had heard of Spider-Man and Elementa. Who hadn’t? They were the superhero duo that watched over New York and was often referred to as vigilantes by police and government officials.

But Tony was having a hard time believing that these two fifteen-year-olds were those two superheroes. He had always just assumed the heroes were adults, or at least _not children._

“That was you two?” Tony asked, gesturing between the two teenagers.

They both nodded in unison.

He suddenly looked confused again. “But, I remember there being reports of Elementa and Spider-Man disappearing a few months ago--”

“Yeah, well, that was around the same time we moved in here,” Peter said, sharing a glance with his sister. “It just became too hard too keep our identities and stay here.”

“We both realized -- _as much as we didn’t want to give it up_ \-- having a home was more important than continuing our superhero-ing. We didn’t want to risk our stay at this place.” Evelyn said, a little sadly, Tony noted.  

“Besides, New York already has enough superheroes,” Peter added and gave a forced laugh. “I bet they could survive without us.”

 _That is definitely not true,_ Tony thought to himself. _We could always use help._

Both of the kids suddenly looked sad, and Tony felt a wave of pity.

“Okay, okay. Alright. Cool.” He said, trying to change the subject, “You two have superpowers. Okay, so that’s just another thing I’m gonna have to get used too.”

Evelyn laughed, yet this one didn’t feel forced. “Yeah. Lisa took everyone to the park a few blocks away, so Peter and I stayed behind to practice. We _obviously_ didn’t expect visitors.”

“Don’t want to get rusty,” Peter commented.

Evelyn elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “Like that could happen.”

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. He shook his head with a smile, and his voice had the tiniest hint of laughter.

“Just my luck. The two kids I’m drawn too just happen to be New York’s youngest superheroes.”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is a few days late. I know I said I would start posting on Saturdays, and I plan on keeping up with that, but I am currently taking a lifeguarding course, and it swallowed up my entire weekend.  
> I'll make sure the next one is out on time. 
> 
> Don't worry! I will be going more into Peter and Evelyn's powers in the coming chapters, but this one was getting kinda long, so I decided to hold it off until later. Don't worry!  
> I can't wait to expand on the twin's storyline. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Anyway, I'm going to see Endgame on Thursday, and I'm freaking out. I'm absolutely not ready to say goodbye to the Avengers franchise, but it's been a good run. Good things must come to an end, or else they burn out. 
> 
> No matter what happens in the movie, I WILL continue with this story, because it's an AU. That's the beauty of it. I get to control how the plot plays out, no matter what's canon or not. Besides, I've been having a lot of fun with it, and have a few ideas for what comes next. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week!


	6. Six: Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “They look nice,” Peter comments.
> 
> “You think everyone looks nice, Pete,” Evelyn says and takes another spoonful of soup. “It’s because you’re nice.”
> 
> “No problem with that.”

“Do you think Tony will be mad?”

Peter looked up from his history textbook. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his sister, and she just stared at him, waiting for an answer.

Peter was suddenly concerned.

“Will he be mad about what?” Peter asked.

Evelyn tucked a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear. “With the fact that Iron Man isn’t my favorite Superhero.”

Relief suddenly washed over Peter, and he smiled. “Oh, um, I don’t know.” He looked back to his textbook for a second, before looking back up at his sister. “Wait, Iron Man isn’t your favorite superhero?”  

She stared right back at him. “No. I thought you knew that.”

Peter bookmarked his page quickly, before throwing the book to the side. “Who is?”

“Scarlet Witch. Come on, Peter. What kind of brother doesn't know his twin sister’s favorite hero?”

“Do you know mine?”

“Iron Man,” she deadpanned. “Obviously.”  

He smiled smugly. “At least Tony won’t be mad at one of us.”

Her eyes drifted back to the notebook she had on her lap. “Yeah. So maybe don’t mention this conversation to him right away.”

The thought of getting to talk to Tony again made Peter incredibly happy.

It had been about two weeks now since Tony had found about Peter and Evelyn’s superhero alter-ego’s, and he had been back to the home quite a few times to visit.

He never said it out loud, but Peter and Evelyn both suspected that he was coming around just to visit them. Tony always told them he was there to volunteer; to help Lisa out where she needed it. But he always hung out with the Parker twins, and they couldn’t like it any other way.

Tony was so different from how Peter suspected.

The media portrayed him as a genius and a playboy, and as slightly arrogant, and of course, an Avenger. But when he was visiting, Peter could see past all of that.

Tony was kind, generous, witty, and above all, willing to see past the Parker’s dark history and look at them for who they were.

Just two kids who needed someone to stick around. A helping hand. Maybe even something semi-permanent.

But Evelyn always shut the idea of Tony sticking around down when Peter would bring it up. Maybe his sister was slightly more damaged then him. Peter knew that she had totally given up the idea of becoming adopted, as every parental figure in their life had left; but he didn’t know if he could give up hope yet.

“Ugh, we need better music,” Evelyn said, and leaned forward.

She fiddled with the dial on the small radio, the music changing as the stations switched. They had been listening to country, and Peter hadn’t even noticed; too wrapped up in his thoughts.

“Where’s the good music?” Evelyn asked, her eyes narrowing.

“What classifies as good music?” Peter responded.

“I’m looking for the station that plays a lot of _Queen_ or _David Bowie._ You know, the good stuff.”

“Doesn't _Elton John_ or the _Beatles_ also classify as the good stuff?” Peter asked, thinking about the music Evelyn enjoyed.

She smiled slightly. “Yeah. Those would also be good. I just don’t want to listen to people singing about their “drinking buddies” or “taking a ride on their big green tractor”.”

Peter snorted through a laugh, and Evelyn finally found a station she was happy with.

The beginning of “Rocket Man” started filtering into the room. She leaned back and went back to her open notebook.

She was doodling a picture of Peter reading his textbook. Peter tried not to make it look like he was staring at her pencil as she sketched.

The two children were sitting in the home’s small attic. It was crowded -- as the staff did use it for extra storage -- but it was the only place that the siblings could go to be away from all of the other kids. Peter was starting to really enjoy their time up there, and he didn’t mind the close quarters.

It felt like the first thing that was theirs. Even if the space was warm and smells slightly like mildew. Only _slightly._

He could get used to it.

“Evelyn! Peter!” Someone called from the floor below them. It sounded like Nate, one of the staff members. “Lunch!”

“Come on,” Evelyn sighed, and closed her sketchbook.

Peter switched off the radio, and the two made their way out of the attic without a word.

 

….

 

Lunch was simple: homemade minestrone soup.

Peter and Evelyn collected their bowls and made their way into the dining room. They both took seats next to each other at the end of the long dining table. A few other kids were seated nearby, but they seemed engaged in their own conversations, and Peter tried his best to look interested in stirring his soup.

Evelyn was eating quietly next to him.

“Are you sure Iron Man’s your favorite?” She asked, not fully turning to face him.

Peter paused his stirring. “We’re still on this?”

“Just answer the question, Pete… I always thought it was Captain America.”

Peter ate a spoonful of soup before answering. “No. I’m pretty sure it’s always been, Iron Man.”

“But what about when you had those Captain America pajamas?”

“Ev, I was nine. We both did a lot of weird stuff when we were kids.”

She laughed, most likely revisiting old memories. “Yeah. But I don’t know if I would call owning Captain America pajamas _weird._ ”

Peter was about to say something in return when his attention was drawn to the main entrance just outside the dining room doorway.

A couple he had never seen before was standing with Lisa. The woman had straight, light brown hair and was talking to Lisa intently. The man had more of a darker hair color and was listening to the two women talk with a smile.

“Who are they?” Peter asked, noticing that his sister was also watching.

Evelyn placed her spoon in her bowl. “I don’t know. A couple looking? Yeah, see, adoption clothes.”

Evelyn didn’t sound necessarily excited, and she gestured towards the couple.

Both the man and the woman were wearing what Peter would classify as business casual. But at the same time, he wouldn’t really know in that regard.

The guy was dressed in a pair of black slacks, and a white button down shirt tucked in at the belt. The woman wore a deep blue dress and short heels. Around her neck was a shimmery, golden necklace.

The exact type of clothes that couples wear when they are looking to adopt, and are visiting the home for the first time.

“They look nice,” Peter comments.

“You think everyone looks nice, Pete,” Evelyn says and takes another spoonful of soup. “It’s because you’re nice.”

“No problem with that.”

Evelyn takes one more glance at the couple. “Don’t get your hopes up. They probably want a kid.”

“We’re kids.”

“A _young_ kid. And definitely not two.”

“Ev, you don’t--” But Peter suddenly cut himself off when Lisa gestures in his direction and all three of the adults look pointedly at him.

He ducks his head, and tries to hide, even though there’s nothing to hide behind.

His face and neck burn, and he just hopes that it isn’t as obvious as it feels.

Suddenly, Peter becomes very interested in his soup.

 

….

 

The couple was leaving just as Peter was washing out his bowl.

Evelyn stood behind him, her dirty bowl and spoon clutched in her hands, and she was watching him scrub over his shoulder. The soapy water felt good on his hands, and he was going to offer to wash Evelyn’s tableware before he thought better.

She wouldn’t want to inconvenience him -- even though he _was_ offering -- so he just moved to the side and let her in.

“Thanks,” she said and took the sponge from her brother’s hand.

“Of course.”

A sudden movement in the dining room drew his attention, and he noticed the couple talking to Lisa once again. They must have been finishing up with their tour.

He moved forward, standing in the doorway and watching them with curiosity when the man noticed him and waved slightly.

This caught the woman’s attention, and she also looked to Peter, smiling.

Peter’s face immediately flushed beet red, and he turned on heel and walked back into the kitchen.

He could feel their stares on his back the whole way back to Evelyn. He tried to ignore it as he watched his sister scrub her plate for longer than necessary.

“They’re leaving,” he said, watching her hands move.

Her fingernails were a deep blue; the paint on her right ring finger was almost chipped off.

“Who’s leaving?” She asked, sounding uninterested.

“The couple. The adopting ones.”

“Did they find a kid?”

“I don’t know,” Peter answered. Evelyn finally rinsed her dish.

In the background, his enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of Lisa bidding the couple goodbye, and then a few minutes later, the front doors opened and shut.

They were gone.

 

….

 

An hour later, Peter was sitting on the back patio in one of the yard chairs.

His history textbook was back in his lap, but he wasn’t really reading. Just using the book as an excuse to not socialize.

When Evelyn sat down in the chair next to him with a _humph_ , he absentmindedly turned a page and blinked.

“They probably didn’t find a kid.” He said, his voice cracking at first.

“Who?” Evelyn asked. She sounded as spaced out as he was.

“This again?-- the couple. From earlier.” Peter sighed and looked at his sister. She was staring at her socked feet.

“Why do you think that?” Evelyn asked, her voice almost breathy.

She was tired. When she was spaced out and slightly breathy, she was tired.

“Because they left early. They weren't here long.”

“Maybe it was a quick consultation,” she suggested. “Maybe no one stood out.”

“Which brings me back to my previous point: they probably didn’t find a kid.”   

Peter closes his history textbook and stares at the photo on the cover. It's some stock image of a bunch of teenagers smiling and fake laughing; as if to say: _Come on kids, history really_ is _fun!_

It had nothing to do with the subject, and Peter laughed under his breath.

Evelyn continued to stare at her toes moving under the striped socks.

“Peter, can I speak with you?”

Peter and Evelyn’s heads both turned towards the new voice. Lisa was standing in the back doorway, her hand resting on the frame.

A small sense of panic filled Peter’s chest, but he tried to push it away.

“Sure, Miss. Staller,” he answered.

He got up from the chair silently, tucking his book under his arm.

“Actually, Evelyn, you might want to join us,” Lisa said quickly, and Peter noticed that same sense of panic fill Evelyn’s features.  

His sister simply nodded and followed them inside.

Lisa lead them into her office, and they both took seats opposite her when he sat at her desk. Peter folded his hands nervously over his lap, and he noticed Evelyn grip the armrests with pale fingers.

Lisa just watched them with steady, light green eyes.

“So,” the woman started, “a couple -- the Johansson’s -- were just here to look into adopting a child. And… um…” she suddenly looked nervous. “They seemed to show a specific interest towards you, Peter.”

Both of the twins instantly froze, two different thought patterns running through their head.

 _Me? Just me?_ Peter’s mind scrambled, _what does this mean for Evelyn?_

Lisa continued. “They’re a really nice couple. He’s a surgeon, and she’s a physics teacher down at NYU. When I told them about your interest in science and engineering, they were immediately interested. They--”

“I’m sorry,” Peter interrupted, “the couple… did they only want _one_ kid? Just me? Do they know about Evelyn?”

Lisa looked apologetic. “Yes, they know about Evelyn. But they were very specific in only feeling ready to adopt one person. I told them that you wouldn’t want to leave your sister, but they still wanted me to approach you about it.”

_I can’t do it. I can’t leave Evelyn like that. Not after everything--_

“You should do it.”

The voice of his sister has Peter whipping his head around. Evelyn is staring straight ahead, and her expression is uneasy but stiff.  

“What?” Peter asked, his tone coated in disbelief.

“I think you should do it,” Evelyn repeats, her voice a bit softer. “Or at least think about it.”

“Ev,” Peter says, shifting his body towards her. “What are you saying?”

“I just…” She tucks a strand of hair behind her hair nervously. Peter hadn’t seen her this nervous in a while. “If someone wants us…”

“No, but Ev, you don’t… They don’t want _us_ . They want _me_. That seems to leave someone out of this equation.”

Evelyn shifts her body so she is now facing her brother. Lisa just watches the two siblings converse quietly.

“Peter,” Evelyn almost sounds like she’s pleading. “Peter, if this is a chance for even one of us to _get out_ … t-- to just become part of something. I don’t want to screw that up. I-- I just--”

Peter’s fingers play with the seam on his jeans nervously. “But that means me leaving you.”

Evelyn almost looks like she is holding back tears. “Yes. It does. But that doesn't mean we could never see each other again. I just-- I want the best for you, Peter.”

“And I want the best for _you_.”

Evelyn looks down at the floor quickly; most likely to hide any tears that spring up.

“If you want the best for me, Pete, then you would consider this.” There’s a beat of silence, and when she speaks again, her voice sounds choked. “For me.”

It takes a long time, but finally, Peter finds the courage to say, “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

If he meant it or not, he didn’t know. He just knew that he couldn’t see his sister breaking down and failing at holding herself together like this. It was heartbreaking.

Evelyn just nods, her eyes never once meeting his.

 

….

 

The next day, Evelyn won’t meet Peter’s gaze.

In some sense, Peter feels slightly angry.

Evelyn wasn’t the one being asked to move to a stranger's home. Evelyn wasn’t the one being asked to give up everything she knew at the slight possibility of redemption on a life she never got.

But Peter was smart, and Peter also knew that Evelyn was smart as well.

It was true, all she wanted was Peter to be happy. She wanted him to get the life he deserved, and that definitely wasn’t at some orphanage in the city.  

Peter knew what she was saying was in his best interest.

If Peter was given a chance like this, it would be stupid to pass it up. Right?

At 3:47 the next afternoon, Peter marched into Lisa’s office to find her typing away on her laptop. She immediately stopped what she was doing when he walked in.

“Peter,” she greeted, sounding surprised.

“I could try it, right?” Peter asked. “Just foster care. Nothing permanent.”

Lisa nodded, catching onto what he was talking about. “Of course. Foster care only. Just a trial basis. You could spend a couple weeks with the family-- see how everything works on both sides.”

Now Peter was the one nodding. “Okay. I’ll meet them.”

“And if you like them?...”

He swallowed thickly. “...If I like them, then yeah. Yeah. I’ll do it.”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, this is getting somewhere.  
> I know the direction I am taking this might be a little out of the blue, but I swear that it all leads back to Tony and the Parker's in the end. Just got to get over this minor hurdle.  
> Sorry (not sorry). 
> 
> ....
> 
> Also, I saw Endgame on Thursday, and let me just say: it wrecked me. Not trying to give anything away, but if you are going to see it, definitely bring tissues.  
> That doesn't mean that I didn't love it. I did. It was amazing.  
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week.  
> Planning on going again. Quite a lot happens in those 3 hours. Can't wait.


	7. Seven: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He’s only going a few weeks.” The caretaker said softly. Evelyn wouldn’t meet her eyes.
> 
> “I know,” the teen girl said, her voice quiet. There was a lump in her throat. “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's kinda shorter. Longer one up next.

The couple was nice. _Really_ nice.

Peter liked them, and Evelyn could see it, and that fact made her heart break.

Maybe she was hoping that they would be mean. That they would be rude, and offensive, and unpleasant, and pure child-hating-monsters.

But none of that was true.

They were, to put it lightly, wonderful.

Julia was the wife. She had shiny, light brown hair that fell down her back, and the palest blue eyes Evelyn had ever seen. Her arms were spattered in freckles, and she sat with one leg crossed over the other.

The husband’s name was Albert. His hair was a much darker brown; almost black if you looked at it in the right light. His eyebrows were blocky, and his eyes were hazel. He didn’t have any freckles and sat with his knees together.

Evelyn supposed you could call them an attractive couple.

“So Peter, what are you studying?” Albert asked.

Peter looked at the man to give his answer, but Evelyn tuned her brother out. She already knew what Peter was doing in school; he always filled her in on the walk home.

Instead, she watches Julia and Albert with slightly narrowed eyes. She didn’t want to look judgmental, but she couldn’t necessarily help it.  

The Johansson's had incredible chemistry. A connection that Evelyn hadn’t seen in a couple since May and Ben. Even with her own parents; they hadn’t been like that.  

At one point, Julia’s hand brushed against Albert’s and he subconsciously intertwined their fingers together. Albert kept talking like nothing happened.

They had little pet names for each other. Julia called Albert “Albie”, and he called her “Jules”. When one told a story, the other nodded along with their partner’s words; as if they knew the story so well, that they were reciting the sentences in their own head.

They even had the same smile.

Not too wide, so it didn’t seem forced. Not too small, so it didn’t seem insincere. It was pleasant, but not constructed of pure joy.

Evelyn tried to brush it off.

“What do you like to do outside of school, Peter?” Julia asked.

Peter shifted in his seat. “Oh, not a lot, I guess. Just kinda, hang out with friends. I’m in mathletes. It’s pretty fun. Also robotics… and a little bit of band.”

Evelyn let out a subtle exhale of relief. She knew better to mistrust her brother; he was pretty good at keep secrets. But in all honesty, she could tell Peter was struggling to find some hobbies other than: _“Oh, I am a superhero in New York with my sister. You know. Even though I’m just a kid.”_

“Oh, band. I did that in high school as well,” Julia said with a smile. “But I didn’t really keep up with it. Kinda lost touch.”

“Yeah, well, music isn’t necessarily my strong suit,” Peter says with a small laugh.

Albert laughs as well. “That’s okay. It’s not our’s either.”

The three of them continued to make pleasant conversation, and Evelyn couldn’t help but feel neglected.

She knew that there was no reason for her to be there. The Johansson’s weren't interested in _her,_  but she was there for Peter. For moral support. If he started to feel nervous, she could just tap his foot with hers, and she could see him physically calm down.

But sitting in Lisa’s office, all of them placed in their own chair, Evelyn did feel a little cut off from the rest of the house. It was quieter than normal, so any lull in the conversation seemed to last a lifetime.

She didn’t bother to speak. There was nothing she could contribute to make her feel any more comfortable with this.

 _For Peter,_  she reminded herself. _Do this for him. For Peter. Peter. Peter. Peter. For his sake._

“So, can I assume that you two had an enjoyable childhood?” Albert asked, grinning; his hazel eyes darting between the two teens.

 _Oh, they’re talking to me now._ But then Evelyn thought about the question, and almost scoffed. _Yeah, about as enjoyable of a childhood someone could have when your parents die. And then your uncle dies. And then your aunt. And then you’re an orphan and--_

“Yes, we had a nice childhood,” Peter said, answering the question for both of them.

“You grew up in the city, correct?”

“Yeah. Mostly in Queens.”

“Ah, Queens. That’s where Julia is from.” Albert says, and Evelyn notices him squeeze his wife’s hand.

Julia nods along with Albert’s statement.

“We’re in the East Village,” Julia said, and Evelyn tried to ignore how that sounded like a brag. “We gotta live close to NYU for work.”

Peter nods. “Of course.”

The rest of the conversation went off without a hitch. Soon enough, an hour and forty minutes had passed, and the Johansson’s were pulling on their coats. It was raining.

“Well Peter, it was a pleasure to meet you,” Julia said and shook the boy’s hand.

“Peter, a pleasure,” Albert shook Peter’s hand right after his wife.

“It was all mine, Mrs. and Mr. Johansson,” Peter said, courteously.

Because that’s who Peter was. Courteous and kind.

Evelyn watched the interaction from the side. Her fingers snapped softly behind her back; one of the many ways she dealt with anxiety.

“Please, Pete, just call us Albert and Julia,” Julia said.

Evelyn tried not to get too mad over the fact that she called him _Pete._    

_I don’t know if we’re there yet._

“Of course,” Peter says, “sorry.”

“No problem,” Albert responds. “Have a good day.”

“Bye!” Peter calls after them as they leave.

They didn’t even say goodbye to Evelyn even though she was right there. Peter didn’t notice.

Evelyn watched her brother start to relax, his shoulders un tensing.

She already knew that he liked them. He didn’t even have to tell her for her to know that he was willing to try foster care.

 

….

 

It hardly felt like any time had passed before Peter was leaving.

Evelyn stood in the front entryway next to Lisa, watching as Peter talked to Albert and Julia. He only had one bag -- enough for all his stuff; they didn’t own _a lot_ \-- and he kept adjusting the strap.

Nervous habit.

Evelyn kept her hands in her jean’s pockets. She bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. She was having a hard time not breaking down. Lisa noticed.

“He’s only going a few weeks.” The caretaker said softly. Evelyn wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“I know,” the teen girl said, her voice quiet. There was a lump in her throat. “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

“I--” but Lisa cut herself off because Peter was approaching them.

The woman stepped to the side to give the siblings their privacy. Evelyn tried to ignore the fact that she could see Julia and Albert watching them over Peter’s shoulder.

“Are you leaving soon?” Evelyn asked, holding her upper arm with a tight grip.

Peter tried to smile, but it looked sorrowful. “Yeah. In a few minutes.”

“Okay.”

She bit the inside of her cheek sharply, and the pinch reminded her to look happy. Because that’s what she was: happy for him. For her brother.

Even though that happiness meant him being away from her.

He saw right through that facade, because, of course, he’s Peter. He knows her better than anyone.

“Please don’t be sad,” he says, his tone softer than before. “Please.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are, but it’s okay.”

Evelyn huffed a laugh, “You gotta stop worrying about me.”

“I’m always going to worry. You’re my baby sister.”

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. “There’s an eight-minute gap. Not your baby sister.”

Peter smirked. “Last time I checked, that made you younger. So yes, a baby.”

“Shut up,” she teased playfully, hitting his arm. But then her lip trembled slightly, and she had to inhale to keep from breaking down. Peter gave a sympathetic side smile, and then she was being wrapped up in his arms.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” she mumbled into his collar.

“I’ll miss you too,” he said, “But I’ll be back. I promise.”

“I’ve never been away from you this long.”

“I know. But we’ll survive. I swear.”

She nodded, her nose still pressed against his skin. “Okay. We will… I’ll try.”

Peter just hugs her tighter.

Suddenly, their silence is broken by Julia’s voice.

“Peter! We gotta get moving, bud.”

Peter let go of his sister, staring at her for a moment, tucking a section of her hair back behind her shoulder. She just studied his eyes, hoping to never forget the way they were always shining.

“Okay, I’m coming,” Peter called to Julia, walking away from his sister and towards his new foster parents.

“Bye, Evie,” he said over his shoulder, “Love you.”

Evelyn couldn’t find the courage to do anything but wave.

Albert opened the door for the boy, and Peter didn’t look back. Just walked towards the open doorway and the waiting city.  

And then, they were gone.

Evelyn was too close to tears, and she couldn't break down here. Not with everyone able to see.

Lisa took a step towards her. “Evelyn, are you--”     

“I gotta go to my room,” Evelyn interrupted the woman and turned before she could see the tears spilling down the teen’s face.

Evelyn ran up the stairs, into her shared bedroom, and onto the bottom bunk that she called hers. She curled up on her side, her face in her pillow, and her back to the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I saw the new Spider-Man trailer and I'm simultaneously freaking out and in love. Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Holland are all I need.


	8. Eight: Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She looked tired and out of breath. She looked miserable.  
> “Sorry,” she mumbled, her voice groggy.  
> Tony can only smile. “It’s okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this one is LONG.

Tony returns to the orphanage shortly after four on a Thursday.

He hadn't been to visit in a few days -- work was starting to get demanding -- and if he was being honest, he missed Peter and Evelyn.

So he finished up his project as quickly and efficiently as he could, and then got changed and drove into the city. The twins would definitely be home, it was four. School ended at 2:45.

Happy pulled the car up along the curb, and Tony had his hand on the handle before the vehicle was even stopped. He hadn't been this excited about something in a while.

“Bye Happ,” Tony called, practically skipping across the sidewalk.

He could hear Happy laughing all the way through the gates and up the walkway.

Tony sped up the stairs, opening the doors with the knowledge that Lisa knew he was coming. He was instantly greeted to the familiar sounds of laughter and voices.

He smiled, standing in the entryway and watching the lively household.

He was about to go looking for his kids when Lisa suddenly approached him. Her expression looked worried and somewhat frantic, and Tony paused.

He had never seen her look that worried before.

“Tony, thank God you’re here,” she said, her ponytail messier than normal.

He studied her with wide eyes.

“What? What is it?”

“It’s-- oh god,” some sort of sick realization falls over her face, and it only makes him anxious.

“What? Lisa, what is going on? Where’s Peter and Evelyn?”

“Peter’s gone.”

The bluntness of her statement almost makes him believe that it isn’t true. But Lisa wasn’t a liar, and Tony watches her for a second before responding.     

“What? They-- the twins got adopted?”

She almost seems to cringe. “No. Not the twins. Just… Peter. Peter’s gone.”

“Only… Peter?” He still didn’t seem to be catching on.

 _Why_ just _Peter?_  

“Um, about a week ago, a couple came in looking to adopt, and well, they showed an interest in Peter. He left to go and stay with them a few days ago.”

Tony removed his sunglasses and slid them in the front pocket of his jacket. “Peter got adopted?”

“No. Not adopted. He’s just staying with them for a few weeks to see how it works out.”

Lisa suddenly looked a lot smaller then she was.

“What about Evelyn?” Tony asked, feeling that familiar anxiousness bubbling in his chest.

Lisa looked uneasy. “Evelyn actually persuaded him to do it.”   

Tony blinked once, then twice. “What? She-- what?”

Lisa nodded. “Yeah.”

“The, uh, the couple didn’t want Evelyn?” Tony asked.

The words felt wrong and bitter on his tongue. He could imagine anyone not wanting either of those amazing kids.

“Unfortunately they only felt ready for one kid. They both had similar shared interests with Peter, so they took a liking to him.”

Tony could feel himself getting angry, but he tried to keep the feeling at bay. He closed his eyes, exhaled, and then opened them quickly.

“Where is Evelyn?” He asked.

“In her room. She hasn’t really come out since Peter left.”

Tony can feel his eyes widen again. “ _At all?_ ”   

“Well, she comes out for meals and…” Lisa rubs the back of her head, and Tony can tell that she feels out of her league. Even though she’s the primary caretaker, he knows that she is at a loss of what to do.

Tony doesn't necessarily know what to do either, but he still wants to help.

“She’s in her room, right?” He asks.

“Yeah. Up the stairs, last door on the left.”

Tony nods. “Okay.”

 

….

 

Tony makes his way up the stairs and follows Lisa’s very simple directions.

_Last door on the left._

In the few visits he had made to this place, he had never really been on any other floor beside the first. He never had a reason too. The upper floors were just supposed to be bedrooms and bathrooms anyway.

Most of the doors were closed, and they all looked the same. The walls the same yellow as downstairs; the doors a pale greenish shade. Brass handles that looked out of this century.  

Tony wasn’t necessarily a fan of the color scheme, but with all the natural light the house let in, it did make everything seem a bit brighter.

He reached the door quickly, and just like the others, it was closed.

He knocked as softly as he could.

No answer.

He waited a few seconds, before knocking once more; a bit louder this time.  

He didn’t get a verbal response, but he could hear some shuffling, so he definitely knew someone was in there. He hoped it was Evelyn and not some other girl.

“Evelyn?” He asked, almost pressing his face to the wood. “Evelyn, I’m going to assume you’re in there. It’s me, Tony. I… I heard what happened with Peter. I don’t really know the full story, but I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

More shuffling. Something that sounded like a _thump_.

He continued. “Um, if you don’t want to open the door, that’s okay. I’m not going to come in. It’s not my place. If you need anything, _anything_ , don’t be afraid to ask. Okay?”

Silence.

“I’m just going to pretend that you’re in there and heard me. Bye, Evelyn.”

Tony turned away from the door and made his way back towards the stairs, his mind wandering and filled with worry.

As he left the house, one thought lingered in his mind.

_I never even got to tell Peter goodbye._

 

….

 

At 11:52 that night, Tony was surprisingly sleeping, and was woken to his phone buzzing on the nightstand beside him.

He startled slightly, but when he realized it was just a call, he calmed himself.

Thankfully, Pepper was still sound asleep beside him.

Tony picked up the phone, about to press ignore, when he recognized Lisa’s number. Hope flared in his chest when he thought about her calling to tell him Peter was returning, but then that hope was diminished when he realized what time it was.

If she was calling this late, it couldn’t have been positive.

Tony climbed out of bed quickly and walked into the connected bathroom, phone in hand.

“Hello?” He said, his voice groggy with sleep.

There was a beat of strange silence on the other end, and then a choked off voice that was almost unrecognizable to him.

“Mr. Stark?” Evelyn asked.

Tony straightened. He had sat on top of the closed toilet lid; his one hand running down his face as fatigue lay dormant on his bones.

“Evelyn?” Tony asked, her voice so different than normal. “Why are you calling me so late, kiddo?”

“It’s just… um, it’s stupid.” She sounded like she had been crying. Or maybe she _was_ crying.

He was quick to reassure. “No, no. It can’t be stupid. Did you hear what I told you earlier? You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for anything.”

“Yeah, I… I heard you.”

“So what is it?”

“I just--” her voice lodged in her throat, making her words sound strangled. “I needed someone to talk too.”

_Oh. Okay._

“Are you okay, Evelyn?”

“I-- I… I miss Peter.” Her voice turns into a whisper, and then a slight sob. She’s definitely crying.

Tony wished he could have been there, talking face to face, instead of on the phone. On the phone, it was so much harder to calm her down without actually seeing her emotions.

“I know you do, kiddo. But, can’t you just talk to him?” Tony asked, wondering why this problem hadn’t been solved long ago.

“No,” she whispered, “we don’t have phones.”

Tony suddenly felt stupid. _Of course, these children didn’t have cell phones, Stark._

He made a mental note to get them both Stark Phones. At least so they could both stay in touch. It was heartbreaking to listen to Evelyn like this.

“Right, sorry,” Tony said, shaking his head in embarrassment.

And then, she was crying full force. He could hear it through the receiver. The way her chest heaved and nose whistled with every breath. He could actually hear her hand shaking, the phone hitting her ear and causing a dull _thumping_ noise as she sobbed.  

She tried to say something too him, but a sob or hiccup would cut her off every time she tried to speak.

“Take deep breaths, Evelyn,” Tony reminded. “Come on, kiddo, I need you to do it.”

After a few seconds, he could hear her inhaling shaky breaths, and the air whistling between her teeth as she exhaled. When she calmed, he smiled down at his toes.

“Good job. Isn’t that better?” He asked.

“Ye-- yeah.”

“Now, can you tell me what you want to say?”    

She took another deep breath, and he felt a strange swell of pride.

“I-- I wanted to say that it’s my fault,” her voice wavered, but she swallowed back tears. “It’s my fault that he left.”

“How?”

He knew how, but she would only calm down fully if she talked it out.

“I told him to go. I thought it would be better… for him. I thought that if he could finally get out of here. If he could get _adopted_ \-- maybe… maybe then he could make something good of his life. I wanted him to be happy.”

“Peter is happy,” Tony said. “He loves you.”

“I know,” she exclaims in a whisper. “I know, and now I feel guilty. I pushed him away. He didn’t want to go, but I told him to do it for me, to make _me_ happy. Oh, God! He’s never going to want to come back now!”

She launched herself into a string of unintelligible babbles, and Tony knew she was on the edge of a panic attack. He leaped into action.

“Evelyn, Evelyn. I need you to listen to me, okay? Please don’t spiral.”

“Tony, Tony, Tony…” she said his name over and over like it was fleeting from her mind.

“Evelyn, tell me five things you can see.”

“Wha-- what?”

His voice was forceful but gentle. “Just do it. Five things you can see.”

“Uh, uh… chair, wall, photo, filing cabinet, and… my socks.”

“Good, now, four things you can touch.”

“Phone, chair, pajama pants, and the floor.”

He could tell she was starting to calm down. “Okay. Three things you can hear.”

“You, me, and your breathing.”

Tony smiled especially at that one.

“Okay, two things you can smell.”

“Pine and balsam.”

“Last one. One thing you can taste.”

“Tears.”

The answer made his heartache, but it was correct, so he didn’t mention how sad it was.

“Great. Awesome, kiddo. Do you… do you feel better?”  

“Yeah. I do.”

“Perfect. Now, Evelyn, you have to know: Peter won’t be mad at you. He loves you so much, and of course, he is going to want to come back to see you. I’m sure he probably misses you just as much as you miss him, okay? You gotta tell yourself that you did nothing wrong. This is just a hurdle that we need to jump, and then, we’ll be good to run again. You hear me?”

There is a beat of silence. “Yes. I hear you.”

“Good. Now, do you think I can let you go, or do you need to stay on?”

“No, you can go. I’m better. Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

He almost laughed. “Please, Evelyn, after this, just call me Tony.”

“Oh, okay… Tony.”

“I’ll come by tomorrow.”

“Okay, good night.”

“Night, kiddo. Sleep tight.”

 

….

 

Tony was walking through the front doors of the home just after nine a.m.

As soon as he stepped into the entry hall, he noticed Evelyn sitting on the stairs; her head in her hands, and she was still wearing her pajamas.

Lisa was standing nearby, trying to make it look like she was working and not lingering; but every few seconds, her gaze would flick to Evelyn, worryingly.

Tony closed the door behind him, and although he tried to keep quiet, Evelyn’s head still flew up quickly. As soon as her gaze landed on him, she pushed herself off the stairs and ran quicker then Tony was ready for.

She barreled into his chest, and he took a step back, trying to stifle his grunt.

She wraps her arms tightly around him in a hug, and Tony can’t help but realize that this is the first time she had even touched him.

Every other time, she had been too shy to even indulge in a proper high five.

“Hey, kiddo,” Tony says softly, a little confused on what he should do with his arms.

She suddenly releases, taking a step back and staring up at him with wide eyes. Almost as if she was just now realizing that she had hugged him so forcefully.

Her face is flushed, and her eyes are rimmed with red and almost foggy.

She looked tired and out of breath. She looked miserable.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, her voice groggy.

Her hands find the hem of her sweater, and they start twisting nervously.

Tony can only smile. “It’s okay.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“I said I would.”

“Yeah, but… maybe you were just saying that to be nice.”

Tony shakes his head with a breathy laugh. “Well, I am nice, but I meant what I said. I never go back on my word.”

That caused her to finally smile, even if it was small.

“Now,” Tony says, straightening out his jacket. “Where are those playing cards? I need to convince you that you’re not the best at Rummy.”

He starts to walk towards the kitchen, where he knows they wouldn’t be a huge disruption, and Evelyn follows. His plan to distract her from her troubles seems to be working.

“Well, I am the best at Rummy, so jokes on you.” She says, falling into step with his quick paces.

“You’re starting to sound like Peter.”  

She gives a tired laugh. "He’s my brother, so… makes sense.”

“Good point. Now, come on.”

 

….

 

Tony spends the next two and a half days at the home.

He only leaves when he can visibly see Evelyn starting to nod off, and lets her get off to bed without worry of her going into a late night panic attack.

The first day, Tony does, in fact, realize that Evelyn is better at Rummy then him, but he doesn't bring it up. She seems to take a silent satisfaction in winning.

While they play, they talk.

No one interrupts them -- Lisa probably told the kids to give them their space -- and Tony was happy with that.

Every conversation they have is about stuff they have been doing recently.

All talk of Peter gets avoided by Evelyn, and she won’t even go close to the topic of her aunt and uncle. So when she starts talking about her parents, Tony is a little surprised.

“They wouldn’t have liked this, you know,” she says while Tony shuffles the cards in between games.

“Who wouldn’t have liked what?” He asked curiosity peaked.

“My parents. They wouldn’t have wanted you to be spending all this time with us.”

Tony’s gaze instantly meets hers. “What? Would they think I am a bad influence or something…?”

Realization floods Evelyn’s face. “No! I just… they were too polite to accept, well, anything really. I’m pretty sure they both didn’t really grow up with a lot, so they were pretty adamant about doing everything themselves. They wouldn’t have wanted you spending all of your time here when you could be doing… work, or something. They thought you were a great person, though.”

Her eyes drift to her hands, and Tony notices that her fingernails are painted a deep blue. Most of the paint has chipped off or cracked.

“Is that something they did a lot?” He asks, straightening the deck. “Turn away people because they thought they were being a bother?”

He just hoped he wasn’t intruding. She didn’t have a solid answer, as she gave a half-hearted shrug.

“I think so?... I don’t know. They were really nice though. Mom used to play the guitar, and I would get Dad to dance. He was never really good, but it made me laugh, so it was fun. I was told stories about them, from when they were younger. They seemed really in love, and I used to get really upset about the fact that they died so young. But then I could make myself feel better by reminding myself that they died together. So, at least they weren't alone.”  

Her head was hanging low, and her blonde hair hung like a curtain in front of her face; so Tony couldn’t see her eyes.

 _Say something!_ His brain screamed at him, _Say anything!_

“They must have been really special.”  

Her head raised the slightest, and Tony swore he thought he heard her sniff.

“Not really; they were just my parents.”

She smiled the slightest, and Tony was almost beaming. He decided that seeing this girl sad was one of the worst things in the world, he wanted to do everything to prevent it.  

He started setting up the cards. “Now, are you ready to school me in a game of Rummy?”

She sat up a little straighter. “I thought that’s what I’ve been doing for the past hour.” Her thumb drummed over the table top, but her smiled only grew. “But yeah, I’m ready.”  

 

….

 

Tony is reading Shakespeare to Evelyn, and he could tell that she is unimpressed.

“You don’t have to keep doing this,” she says, her face starting to become flushed.

She’s laying upside down on the couch, her head hanging over the side and hair loose so it brushes against the floor.

Tony dismisses her comment with a wave and continues to recite the dialogue wrong on purpose.

“Stop,” she groans, plugging her ears, “you’re ruining " _A Midsummers Night Dream"_ for me.”

“Not my fault,” Tony says, breaking character. “This book ruins itself. I can’t believe they teach this stuff in school.”   

Evelyn chucks a throw pillow in his direction, but since she’s upside down, her aim is off and it lands about a five feet off. Tony just chuckles.

“I think it’s good,” she says. Her face is almost fully red now. “You just don’t have any taste.”

“Don’t tell me I don’t have taste,” Tony says, looking back at the book. “When you read stories about men being turned into donkey-human-hybrids and running off with magic ladies. Also, sit properly. Your brain is going to turn into mush.”

She scoffs but adjusts herself so she's lying vertically on the sofa. “My brain already _is_ mush. But if you hate the book so much, just stop reading it.”

“I wanted to see why you found it so enjoyable.”  

“Don’t you have better things to be doing?”

“Nope, my schedule is totally clear, just for you, kiddo.”

“Yippie,” Evelyn says un-enthusiastically.

Tony rolls his eyes with a smile. “Come on. You love it.”

“I don’t _love_ \--” Evelyn suddenly cuts herself off, her expression falling into concentration, and Tony watches her, perplexed. In one solid movement, she turns herself right-side up; all of her hair falling over her shoulders messily. She’s staring in the direction of the front entrance. Her face still red and blushed.

“Evelyn?” Tony asks as she looks distant. “You okay, Kiddo?”

But she doesn't respond. Instead, she stands from the couch -- slightly wobbly, having not fully righted herself -- and starts making her way towards the front doors of the home.

Tony feels no other choice than to follow her.

When she finally comes to a stop, they are standing in the front entrance and Evelyn is frozen. Her stormy blue eyes are wide, and Tony can’t blame her.

Standing only a few feet away is Peter.

And even though Tony knew that they were going to see him again, he didn’t expect it to be this soon.

“Pete,” Evelyn starts, her stance stiff. She was trying to make herself come off as nonchalant, but it just seemed forced. “You’re back already.”

Peter gave a lopsided smile that was thick with emotion. “Guess I missed you.”

And that was all it took for Evelyn to abandon her previous charade, and run towards her brother, jumping into a tight hug.

Peter laughed and wrapped his arms around his sister. He looked close to tears, and Tony could tell that Evelyn was already crying.

“I was stupid,” Evelyn hiccuped, her voice hoarse. “I shouldn’t have asked you to leave.”

“You’re right. That was stupid,” Peter says, and Evelyn’s shoulders jumped.

Tony couldn’t tell if it was from the crying, or if she was laughing.

“But I’m staying now,” Peter says softly, his hold on Evelyn tightening as her body shook. A tear ran down his cheek and landed in the girl’s hair. Neither of them took notice.

“Good,” Evelyn replied. “That’s good.”

After a few more minutes, Evelyn eventually managed to calm down, and she let go of her brother. Tony took that opportunity to step closer to the boy; both of them giving each other happy smiles.

“So, why are you actually back?” Tony asked.

The man noticed how Evelyn’s hand found the hem of Peter’s shirt and held on like he might leave again. That tiny motion was enough to remind Tony exactly how young these two really were.

“It just wasn’t a good fit,” Peter says, and Tony gives him a slightly skeptical look. “Honest. Also, they didn’t like Iron Man, so I knew I had to get out of there.”

Tony chuckles slightly. “Good choice, kid.”

Evelyn didn’t respond to the joke, as her eyes were fixed on Peter’s face as if he might suddenly disappear. Peter noticed.

“Hey, Evie, are you listening?” The boy asked, turning to his sister. She nodded. “Good. Hey, I’m not going anywhere, okay? I came back, and I’m staying. Alright?”

She nodded once more, and Peter smiled.

And that’s when Tony knew it. He doesn't know what subconscious voice gave him the idea, but it was a good one, and at the moment, felt like the right one.

He couldn’t let anything break these two up again. They needed each other more than they knew. For them, only a few days apart felt like a lifetime.

Tony was going to make sure that they stayed together. He was going to protect them.

He was going to foster Evelyn and Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, this is getting somewhere.  
> Also, sorry for not writing anything in Peter's perspective while he's in foster care. But, I actually don't like Julia and Albert (kinda intended that when I wrote them), so I didn't want to put the focus on them.  
> I will be talking more about Peter's experience in foster care with them later on, but the main focus of this story is Tony and the twins, so I wanted to write about that more. 
> 
> Okay! Sorry, this is long, and I'm excited about the next chapter!
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week!


	9. Nine: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa breaks into a huge grin. “It was my pleasure. Now, go and get out of here. I don’t want to see you back through those doors again. This is going to work for you; you are going to make it stick, Okay?”
> 
> Both of the teenagers nodded.
> 
> "Good."

When Evelyn was asked into Lisa’s office, her heart immediately plummeted.

Flashbacks from the last time she was in the room flood her memory and her immediate reaction is, _where’s Peter?_

But then she notices him by her side -- the same place he has been ever since he got back -- and she has to take a few deep breaths.

_Okay, calm down Parker._

Peter just gives her one of his priceless smiles, and he leads them into the head caretaker’s office. The one thing Evelyn did not expect to see in that room was Tony.

The billionaire was leaning against the front of Lisa’s desk; his arms folded over his chest, but a welcoming smile on his face.

Something glinted in his eyes that Evelyn could have pegged as excitement.

Lisa was sitting in the chair behind her desk, and she gestured at the two seats opposite her when the siblings walked in.

“Sit down, guys,” the woman says, her expression also resembling Tony’s.

Evelyn sat with hesitation. “What’s going on?”

Lisa cleared her throat, and it seemed like less of a necessity and more of the woman being dramatic. “Tony and I have been talking…”

_Uh oh._

“...And he has a proposition for you two.”   

Evelyn’s fingertips gripped the armrests of her chair ever so slightly. _Oh?_

And suddenly, Tony looked nervous; but like, a good kind of nervous. “I was wondering -- and of course, it’s totally up to you two. I’m not going to do anything that you’re not okay with. But I was just wondering… Oh, shit. How do I say this? Uh… okay, okay. I was wondering if it would be okay if I fostered you two.”

Evelyn didn’t know what to do. It took her a long moment to even realize that her mouth was hanging wide open. Beside her, Peter seemed in the same situation.

But when she finally spoke, her voice was weak. “Both of us?”

Tony looked to her and his brown eyes were almost watery. He gave a smile that was filled with sadness and sympathy.

“Yes, both of you. _Of course_ both of you.”

Evelyn had to bite her lip to keep it from shaking. Peter still seemed speechless.

Tony was starting look worried. “So, is that a yes? I don’t--”

“Yes!” Both of the siblings exclaimed at the same time; both practically jumping from their chairs.

Tony smiled so wide, he was fucking beaming.

Evelyn knew she was doing the same.

This time, when Evelyn hugged Tony, she didn’t pull back from embarrassment. Not even when she knew Peter joined in; or when she felt two strong arms wrap around both of the siblings, embracing the Parker’s in a way they never thought they’d feel again.

 

….

 

Evelyn had one last night in the home before she would move into the Avengers compound.

The fucking Avengers compound.

And she did know that Tony lived there before now -- or she at least had a sense; you never _can_ trust the tabloids when it came to celebrities personal lives -- but when he told Peter and her that that is where they were going to be living; Evelyn was just surprised Peter didn’t faint.

So on that final night, she laid on the bottom bunk of her shared bunk bed and took in everything for, hopefully, the last time.

The sounds of the seven other girls who slept in her room. The soft snores; the irregular and regular breathing patterns; someone sneezed in sleep from across the room, and even that made Evelyn smile.

She didn’t know what to expect at Tony’s place.

Obviously, everything would be so much nicer. But _how_ much nicer?

Would she have to share a room with Peter?

_No, right? Hmm… maybe._

If she did, she wouldn’t hate it. She and Peter had to share rooms all the time with past foster parents. People who just didn’t have enough room for two kids. That was usually the main reason why the Parker’s never stuck around with those families.

Evelyn rolled over and stared at the girl sleeping on the bottom bunk across from her.

_Maybe I will get a room all to myself. Will Tony laugh if I ask for a nightlight? God, I hope not._

Evelyn hated the dark. The only reason she could survive in this room was that her bed was right beside the window, and she always left the blinds open. Moonlight or light from the street lamps would filter in; so, not total darkness.

Maybe Evelyn wouldn’t be terribly upset to leave this place.

The only person she ever talked too was Peter. And they were getting a home. Finally, a home. Maybe this one might actually stick.

Or maybe she was just getting her hopes up.

No, she wouldn’t be terribly upset to leave this place after all.

 

….

 

Tony was scheduled to pick them up at eleven.

He showed up at 10:15 a.m. with the excuse: “I just couldn’t wait any longer, and I’m sorry.”

He looked excited and slightly giddy as Lisa chuckled and said: “It’s okay. They were here waiting for you at nine anyway.”

Evelyn thought it was funny to see someone like Tony Stark so excited, but then again, so was she, so she understood.

Peter and Evelyn both had all of their stuff packed up, and between the two of them, there was only two backpacks, a duffle bag, and one of those rolly suitcase’s.

Not a lot, but Evelyn thought it was okay. She hated unpacking.

The twins both said their goodbyes to Lisa. Tony waited patiently.  

After Peter was done, Evelyn went in for a hug, and she found herself lingering.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Lisa asked, still holding on.

“I didn’t think it would be this hard,” Evelyn admitted.

“It shouldn’t be. You should be happy.”

Evelyn let a half broken sob, and tried to disguise it as a laugh. “I am. Trust me.”

“I always do.”

When she finally pulled back, Lisa beckoned Peter back over so she could talk to both of them.

“I am so proud of both of you,” Lisa said, placing a hand on either one’s shoulder, and somehow looking them both in the eye. “So, so proud. You two are so incredibly smart. So amazingly gifted. So… weirdly strong, in more ways than one.”

Lisa let out a small laugh, and Evelyn was trying to keep from crying.

“I am so happy you two are getting this opportunity because you deserve it. You deserve it more than anyone.” The caretaker’s voice wavered. “Now, go out and make your lives amazing. Do amazing things. Be _amazing people_. I know you can do it. I know it.”

“Thank you for everything,” Peter says, eyes sparkling.

Lisa breaks into a huge grin. “It was my pleasure. Now, go and get out of here. I don’t want to see you back through those doors again. This is going to work for you; you are going to make it stick, Okay?”

Both of the teenagers nodded.

“Good.”

As Tony, Peter, and Evelyn left, Evelyn tried her hardest not to look back. She thought her experience with Lisa saying goodbye was a perfect last memory of this place.

But not looking back was harder than she expected, and at the last moment, she did it.

She stared at the giant, old, brick house that had served as her home for the past almost five months. It’s beautiful structure, and climbing ivy, and _incredible_ backyard.

How it smelled of hardwood, and apple juice, and cinnamon. How it sounded of children’s laughter, and music, and rustling wind.  

How it had given her this incredible opportunity.

She only looked away when she could hear Tony calling her name, and then she was gone. Running down the stone pathway, backpack jostling on her one shoulder, and out the gate.

And then, they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to wait, but I couldn't. I finished this today and really wanted to post it. Screw a schedule; these are just going to go up when I deem it appropriate.  
> Hope you liked it!
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week.


	10. Ten: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You ready?” He asked.
> 
> She shook her head. “Are you?”
> 
> “Definitely not,” although he smiled and unbuckled his seat belt. “Let’s do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long one. Jeeze, these are so fun to write.

The entire car ride out of the city, Evelyn kept her face pressed to the window.

She had lived her entire life in New York, and yet, she had never properly been upstate. It was gorgeous.

Long, twisty roads; and more trees then she had ever seen in one place, even in Central Park. The houses were tall and immaculate; each one bigger than the last and bordered by forest.   

She was sitting in one of the most expensive cars she had ever seen.

It was parked beside the curb when Evelyn and Peter left the home, and a man wearing a stern expression was standing beside the vehicle. He was decked out in a dark suit, and his hands were clasped together. He looked professional yet impatient.

Tony introduced him to the twins and said his name was Happy.

Evelyn thought that was the most ironic thing she had ever heard.

Now, Happy was driving them down a long road towards the compound. Peter and Evelyn were sitting in the back, both of them staring out of the windows and admiring the scenery.

Happy would occasionally steal a glance at them in his rearview mirror. He still didn’t know what to make of the two teenagers sitting in his car.

Tony was still smiling and didn’t look like he would be stopping any time soon.

Finally, after what must have been an hour and a half of driving, a driveway blocked off by a very high-security gate comes into view.

The driveway and gate cut through a dense patch of forest, so you can’t see into the property, but Evelyn still knew what the driveway leads too.

_The Avengers compound._

Happy reached a hand out of his window and punched a code onto a screen on the gate. The doors then swung open, and he proceeded to drive up the driveway. After a minute or so, they make their way out of the forested patch, and Evelyn can’t believe what she is seeing.

Of course, she has never actually seen pictures of the compound. It’s restricted to paparazzi and the public; obviously for privacy reasons. So, she never really knew what to expect.

But what was waiting for them made her breath catch in her throat.

The property must have been hundreds of acres wide. It was constructed of multiple smaller buildings around one huge, main building. She assumed that’s where the main living quarters were.

They drove by a large, grassy field; and a tarmac sporting a giant jet; and to her right was the lake. Evelyn had never lived anywhere with a waterfront.

They eventually pulled up to the front doors of the main building, and Happy stepped out of the car. He walked around to the trunk and started unloading their minimal baggage.

Tony get out next and stretched.

Peter gave Evelyn a look.

“You ready?” He asked.

She shook her head. “Are you?”

“Definitely not,” although he smiled and unbuckled his seat belt. “Let’s do it.”    

Once they were out of the car, both of the teenagers instantly ran to grab their bags from Happy.

“Let us,” Evelyn says and takes her backpack and the suitcase.

Peter takes his backpack -- he has a red one, while Evelyn has a yellow -- and also grabs the duffle. Happy gives something that looks like a smirk.

“You sure you got those?” He asks, making himself laugh.

“Of course, sir,” Peter replies, huge grin and all. “It’s no problem.”

“Has anyone ever told you, kids, that you are the most courteous people on the planet?” Tony asks from his place now by the main doors.

“Yes,” both of the twins say at the same time.

Tony just chuckles.

If Evelyn thought the outside of the building was amazing, the inside simply blew her away.

Everything was so modern and high tech and expensive; she actually felt afraid to touch anything.

Tony lead them to an elevator -- even that contraption made Evelyn slightly anxious -- and as soon as they were standing inside, a female voice came out of nowhere, and both Peter and Evelyn jumped.

“Welcome back, Boss, Mr. Hogan, and two unidentified individuals.”

Evelyn looked around the elevator in a slight frenzy, hoping to find the source of the voice. Tony just chuckled softly.

“Friday, this is Peter and Evelyn Parker. They are going to be living here. Please don’t count them as a security threat.” Tony then turned to look at the teenagers. “Friday is my AI. She basically runs this place, and is accessible anywhere in the entire compound.”

“Nice to meet you,” Friday says in greeting.

“Oh, an AI,” Peter mutters mostly to himself. “Of course, totally.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Evelyn says, although her voice is softer then she would have liked.

In all honesty, she was still a little freaked out.

“So,” Tony started, “I did have a tour planned, but apparently people want to meet you two, so we will have to put my plans on hold.”

“People?” Peter asks, loosening the strap on his backpack, and then pulling it tight again. “What kind of people?”

Evelyn was sure she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Tony say it.

“Super people, Kid,” Tony says with a smile, “Avengers.”

Peter’s eyes went wide, and Evelyn felt a nervousness flare up in her stomach.

 _Well, that’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear,_ she thought to herself. _Better get used to it._  

 

….

 

When the elevator finally came to a stop, they were on the third floor and for a second, the doors didn’t open.

Evelyn couldn’t hear any noise on the opposite side, so a small part of her thought that maybe no one was home. Maybe all of the Avengers were just out for the day, and they could hold off on the introductions.

Because her stomach was jumping, and she found herself unconsciously snapping her thumb and index finger. Nervous tick.

She hid her hand behind her back so Tony or Happy wouldn’t notice.

Peter definitely would -- with his enhanced hearing, he would be able to hear the snaps -- but he knew enough to not mention it.

Maybe no one would be there to greet them, and they could just continue with the tour like planned.

But then the doors slid open, and all of Evelyn’s previous hopes flew out the window.

Every person Peter and Evelyn had ever idolized was congregated in the one room, and they were all staring at the elevator.

Tony and Happy actually had to push the twins into the common room.

All Evelyn could think was, _oh God, don’t faint. Don’t faint; don’t throw up. Don’t throw up, don’t do it!_

She didn’t. Luckily.

Tony cleared his throat like he was about to make a big speech. “Everyone, this is Peter and Evelyn Parker. Evelyn, Peter, this is everyone. I’m sure you know their names.”

Evelyn half expected there to be a spotlight shining down on her, every single bit of attention being trained on herself and Peter.

“Hi,” both of the twins said at the same time.

That earned them a few smiles.

Suddenly, a woman walked out of the crowd of superheroes and towards Tony. Evelyn was surprised by the fact that she _had_ seen her before. Tony gave the woman a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to the teenagers.

“Peter, Evelyn, this is my fiance, Pepper Potts,” Tony says, wrapping one arm around the woman’s waist.

Pepper scoffs and pushes on Tony’s chest playfully. “ _Your fiance?_ Is that what I’ve become? _Just_ your--”

“Fine,” Tony says, discretely rolling his eyes, “guys, this is Pepper Potts. CEO of Stark Industries, woman extraordinaire, _and_ my fiance.”

Pepper laughs, “That’s better.”

Evelyn couldn’t help but stare at the woman. Pepper was, well, exactly what Tony had just said. Extraordinary.  

Her strawberry blonde hair that fell down her back; her gorgeous, ice blue eyes; the small smattering of freckles that traveled along the bridge of her nose.

Her stance was professional, yet calm. She simply oozes confidence; even in the minimal interaction that Evelyn has had with the woman, she was already slightly intimidated by her. You could just tell that Tony was turning to putty in Pepper’s gorgeous fingers.

She reminded Evelyn so much of her own mother, that it was a little frightening. Not only in looks, but also in personality.

Evelyn could hear Peter swallow next to her, as he tried to shove down his nerves and go back to just being himself.

“Nice to meet you, Miss. Potts,” Peter says, holding out a hand.

Pepper shakes it with a smile. “Please, Peter, just call me Pepper. _‘Miss. Potts’_ makes me feel like I’m at work; or that I’m my mother. And I want to be neither of those here.”

Peter laughs, “of course. Sorry.”

“Not a problem.”

Evelyn still had nothing to say. In all honesty, standing next to Pepper was making her feel incredibly inadequate. _Simply standing_ in this room was making her feel inadequate.

 _What are you wearing?_ Her mind chastised.

She had on a pair of jeans, a striped shirt, zip up hoodie, and sneakers. She had twisted her bangs away from her face and had pinned them back. A pretty casual outfit on her part.

Peter was dressed in normal Peter clothes, and Evelyn thought he looked good.

But it’s not even like anyone else was dressed up. They were all wearing pretty casual garb. But Tony was wearing a suit, and Evelyn felt underdressed.      

The rest of the introductions were just as frightening, if not more, and Evelyn felt her hand itching to grab on to Peter multiple times. She just needed something sturdy to hang onto; something that actually felt real.

Because so far, all of this felt almost delusional. As if she was dreaming, and at any moment, she would wake back up in that bottom bunk bed, alone.

When Tony introduced them to Captain America, all color drained from Peter’s face.

“Welcome,” the super soldier said, holding out a hand.

Peter shook it softly.

“He’s excited to meet you, really,” Tony says, explaining Peter’s stunned expression. “I think this is just a lot to take in.”

The captain laughed. “Oh, of course. I understand. I certainly felt that way my first day here. Just a lot of everything, and too little time to process it all.”

That comment made Peter smile.

“Oh, and please,” Captain America started just as Tony was about to lead the twins to someone else, “call me Steve. Less formal, you know?”

“Sure, sir,” Evelyn says and Steve grins.

That was the common request with everyone they met. No one wanted to be called by their superhero persona and opted for the Parker’s to use their given names instead.

Evelyn was fine with it -- she wouldn’t want any of them calling her Elementa -- but it would take some getting used too. She almost blew it and quickly avoided calling Bruce Banner “Hulk”.

The scientist dismissed her tiny slip up and didn’t address it as she stumbled over her words, trying to regain her composer. Maybe she was the only one who noticed, but that didn’t stop her face from flushing red.

Bruce then turned to Peter and said: “I like your shirt. Clever.”

Peter was wearing a graphic tee that said _“Geology Rocks!”_ in bold, yellow letters. Peter had a lot of those; graphic shirts with stupid science and math jokes on them.

Peter was beaming at this point. “Thanks, Dr. Banner.”

Tony introduced them to a few more people, who all seemed honestly excited to meet the teenagers.

Sam and Rhodey gave them big smiles and enthusiastic handshakes. Clint said a cheerful hello and then flashed Tony a look that Evelyn quite didn’t understand. Some sort of hidden mockery hidden behind it.  

Tony didn’t really pay the archer a ton of attention.

Nat was quiet but polite, and there was a subtle grace in all of her movements. Evelyn seemed a little captivated by everything she did and gave a small wave to the woman once introduced.

The smile she was given in return was filled with kindness.

But as soon as they were introduced to Scarlet Witch, Evelyn was surprised she didn’t have a heart attack.

Peter instantly understood what she was feeling, and he couldn’t help but grin at his sister’s almost frozen state.

“Hi,” Scarlet Witch says and steps forward. “I’m Wanda. I’ve been excited to meet you.”

Evelyn almost started laughing.

There was a man who didn’t look human with purple-ish skin standing next to Wanda, but Evelyn didn’t have time to dwell on that. Her _literal idol_ just told her that she was excited to meet _them._

Peter suddenly gave Evelyn a slight kick with the heel of his sneaker, and she realized that it was her turn to say something.

“Uh, hi, hello. Nice to meet you. I’m just… wow.” Evelyn tries to help the fact that she’s now mumbling, and also ignore how Peter and Tony are staring at her. “Sorry. I’m just… I’m a really big fan. Sorry.”

Evelyn then shoves her hands in her pockets before her fingers can start snapping, and she wants to pull her hood over her head and run. Her face burns.  

Wanda doesn't look weirded out. If anything, she looks happy.

“That’s okay,” the hero says, with a slight laugh. “It’s nice to meet you too. Evelyn, right?”

Evelyn nods quickly.

“Awesome. I’ll look forward to getting to know you two more.”

“That sounds great!” Peter says and Wanda’s smile widens.

With that, their introductions are over and Tony is pushing them back towards the elevator. Wanda turns back to her purple friend -- who Evelyn would later learn is named Vision -- and the Avengers go back to everyday life.

Someone switches on the television; someone else starts a pot of coffee.

Tony is giddy once more.

“What’s going on?” Evelyn asks as he finally gets them into the elevator.

“Tour time!” Tony all but sings out.

Peter giggles. Evelyn watches with amusement as Tony hits a button on the elevator wall for the floor above them.

“Stop staring at me,” Tony reprimands without even turning around.

Neither of the teenagers looks away. Tony sighs.

“Am I not allowed to be excited?” The billionaire asks, still facing the doors.

“You are being _very_ excited,” Peter states. “And no one said you’re not allowed.”

“Good,” Tony says as the elevator stops and the doors open. “Because it's my house, so my rules.”

They have stopped on a floor that is practically just one long hallway stretching to the left and right. Along the walls are a few doors evenly spaced apart.

The rooms seemed big judging by how much distance was in between each doorway.

“This is where your rooms are,” Tony says as they step onto the carpet. “Or floor four. Now, come on, the real fun part is finally starting.”

 

….

 

Evelyn and Peter’s bedrooms were at the end of the hall to the left.

“Are these all bedrooms?” Evelyn asked as they followed Tony down the hall.

“Yep.”

“Well, who sleeps on this floor?”

“Uh… I don’t know. Sam, I think. Maybe Vision, but then again, Vision doesn't really sleep. As I said, I don’t really know. There are more rooms on the fifth floor. The sixth floor is the penthouse. That’s where Pepper and I stay.”

“Okay.”

Tony stops next to the first bedroom. There is plaque next to the door with a number, kinda like a hotel. The first door was 415, while the one at the end of the hall and beside it was 416.

“What’s with the numbers?” Peter asks.

“Oh, right,” Tony says and chuckles. “I know it’s kinda stupid, but it’s for Friday. How she catalogs who stays in which room. Peter, this one’s yours. Evelyn is 416.”

Tony pushed open the door to Peter’s bedroom and Evelyn drew in a long breath.

To Evelyn, the room was unreal.

First of all, it was huge. There was a queen sized bed along the back wall, covered in the softest looking, grey comforter Evelyn had ever seen. Pillows sat at the head, propped up against a gorgeous, wooden headboard.

Evelyn’s first instinct was to run and jump onto the mattress, but she held herself back, pushing that childish side of herself away.

The top half of the back wall was just window, letting in a large amount of natural light.

On the wall beside the door, a desk was set up with one of those spinny chairs. A flat-screen television was on top of a dresser along the third wall, sandwiched between two low bookshelves.  

There were shelves over the desk and above the night tables beside the bed. On the fourth wall was two separate doors.

“Closet?” Peter asks, walking over to the farthest door.

Tony grins, “Actually, bathroom.”

Peter’s eyes go wide, and he shoves open the door quickly. Inside is a gorgeous en-suite bathroom. It’s modern, and fancy, and colorful.

There is patterned tiles on the wall behind the bathtub in shades of blues, yellows, and reds. The bath rug on the floor is the same shade of blue as the shower curtain.  

The cabinets over the sink have a mirror on the door, and over the toilet is a painting of the ocean.  

Peter steps out of the room and points at the door beside the bathroom.

“This one has gotta be a closet.”

“ _Walk in_ closet,” Tony corrects and opens the door for them to see.

Evelyn didn’t know what to make of it. The closet itself was maybe the size of her old childhood bedroom, and this one was already packed to the brim with clothing.

Shirts, pants, jackets, shoes, pajamas, suits… you name it, it was probably somewhere in that closet.

“I didn’t exactly know what you preferred,” Tony explained as the teenagers gape at the room of clothes. “So I kinda just bought… _everything?_ ”

The twins just stared.

“I get that it’s a lot,” Tony said, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous fashion. “But, I just wanted you to be comfortable. And I thought it could be a surprise. I’m kinda good at surprises.”

_You could say that again._

Evelyn’s bedroom looks exactly the same as Peter’s, which she didn't mind a bit. The only thing that was different was the clothes in the closet.

Like her brother, Evelyn’s closet was packed to the brim. She let her eyes gaze over everything once, before looking away. She would go over it all later when Tony or Peter wasn't there and she could freak out by herself.   

Everything about this was just so… surreal.

She was still half expecting this to just be a dream, and to wake up back in her old life. A life without Tony Stark, or the Avengers, or where she lives in a mansion or has a closet full of designer clothing.

“Pepper helped me buy most of the stuff,” Tony says to Evelyn. “As I said before, we didn’t know what you two liked, so we just got it all.”

Peter sits on an armchair in the corner of Evelyn’s room. He had one just like it, although her’s was cream while his was navy blue.

Okay, so two things were different.

“Tony, this is… amazing,” Peter says, staring up at the high ceilings.  

“Yet I’m sensing a _but_ somewhere, kid,” Tony replies with a slightly uneasy grin.

Peter draws his eyes down to the man. “But, it’s just… too much.”

Tony’s grin turns genuine. “It’s not kiddo, trust me.”

“Tony, we’re not worth--”

“Don’t say that you’re not worth it, Peter,” Tony cuts the boy off, “because you two are. Really. There’s a reason I wanted to foster you, and I wouldn’t have if I thought you weren't worth all of this plus more. Don’t say self-deprecating things like that, because you must not get it. You two are amazing.”

Peter and Evelyn just smile.

_How am I supposed to follow up a compliment like that?_

Luckily, Tony speaks before they have too, “Aw, look at that, you’ve made me go all mushy on you.”

“It’s okay,” Evelyn says gently, “we don’t mind.”  

Before they embarked on the rest of their tour, Tony seemed to remember something that seemed important and stopped them in their tracks.

“For you,” he said, pulling two Stark Phones out of the inside of his jacket like they just appeared there from nowhere.

“What?” Both of the siblings asked at the same time, each gingerly taking a cell phone.

The device was brand new; black, sleek, and top of the line.

It practically weighed nothing in Evelyn’s hand.

“For you,” Tony repeated like the concept shouldn’t be hard to grasp. “I realized that you two were going to need them. My contact is already inputted, as well as Pepper’s and Happy’s. Never know when you’re going to have an emergency.

“And before you ask about the price, just remember that I make them. Besides, this is a gift. Never ask the price of a gift. That’s just rude.”

Evelyn slips her phone in her back pocket and looks up at Tony with an expression of thanks. Peter does the same.

“You’re welcome,” Tony smiles and turns on his heel, leading them back towards the elevator for the rest of their tour.

 

….

 

That night, Evelyn couldn’t sleep.

For one, her bed was too soft.

She thought that was strange, especially since when she was younger, she would fall asleep dreaming about laying on softer mattresses. Imagining being wrapped up in the warmest blankets, and using the fluffiest pillows.

She would imagine those things the most when living with her Aunt Jen. The first few weeks Peter and Evelyn had lived with the woman, they had slept on a double blow up mattress. It would deflate almost every single night, and that’s when Evelyn would keep herself awake with thoughts of a better situation.

But now that she actually had it, it was hard to rest. Something in her just couldn’t get comfortable, and she felt small laying on something so big.

Secondly, it was too quiet.

Everywhere she had ever lived in the past was filled with noise. Either from the city outside; or the television playing down the hall, or the someone else’s steady breathing filling in the quiet she provided.

Now it was just silence. Upstate was too wide, and the compound was too secluded to reach outside noise.

There was a little bit of light, which Evelyn was thankful for. She wouldn’t have been able to handle this new place in complete darkness.

There was one of those Himalayan salt rock lamps sitting on her desk. It was obviously there for decoration, but before Evelyn slipped into bed that evening, she flicked on the switch and was happy to find that it worked.

The lamp cast a soft, pinkish glow, and it was low enough that Evelyn could ignore it easily, yet still feel at ease.

Evelyn shut her eyes, but after a minute or so of still feeling wide awake, she reopened them.

 _This is useless,_ her brain decided.

Finally, she went to her last resort and threw back her comforter with a huff. Her bare feet hit the carpet silently, and she made her way to the door, opening it as softly as she could.

The hallway was dark, and Evelyn placed one hand on the wall, letting her fingers guide her to the next door.

_Peter’s room._

Peter’s bedroom was dark when Evelyn pushes open the door, and she slips in a stealthily as possible. After the door closes, she just stands there, trying to figure out if her brother is even sleeping or not.

Finally, he lifts his head, and in the slight moonlight from outside, Evelyn can see his silhouette sit up.

“Evelyn?” He asks in a whisper.

“Were you sleeping?” Evelyn doesn't move from her spot.

“No, not really.” Peter makes a noise that sounds like a yawn.

“Can I, uh…” Evelyn feels nervous as it dawns on her how childish her question is.

Peter gets it. “Come on,” he says, pulling back the blankets and shuffling over so there is room for Evelyn to lay down.

She runs to the bed and gets in instantly.

Peter has moved so there is still a significant amount of distance between the two, but Evelyn instantly feels less alone. The bed even feels the tiniest bit normal now.

She rolls over so she’s now facing him, and with the night light filtering into the room, she can make out tiny details on his face and hair. His eyes open, and he is looking at her.

“Remember how we had to share that blow-up mattress at Aunt Jen’s?” Evelyn whispers.

Peter exhales. “Yeah. This is quite the upgrade.”

Evelyn’s silent for a moment, then, “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Me either.”

“I keep waiting for the sound of a siren, or a car horn, or something. It’s just so quiet.”

Peter whisper-laughs, “It smells different too. It must be the absence of garbage.”

“And urine.”

Peter wrinkles his nose. “Gross. But yeah.”

They are both quiet for a couple of minutes, before Peter says, “You know, I really missed you while I was with Julia and Albert.”

“Yeah?”

“Definitely. They… they didn’t really get it. The first few nights, I had some nightmares, and they didn’t really know how to react. I think they just kinda ignored the problem altogether.”

“Hmm… what were the dreams about?”

“Oh, the usual, I guess. May and Ben, and once Dad showed up. The worst one I had was…” he paused for a second, as if not sure whether to continue or not.

“Pete?”

“Um, it was about you. You, uh, you got really hurt and I wasn’t there to help you. To save you. That one really freaked me out. I woke up screaming and crying, and it scared Julia and Albert, and they didn’t know how to deal with it. They just kind of sat there awkwardly until I calmed down.”

Evelyn felt this sudden urge to give her brother a hug. “Petey, I’m sorry. But… we’re together now. I’m not letting you get away again.”

Evelyn reached out a hand and placed it in the middle of the bed. Peter reached out his in turn and rested it over hers.

She decided to not tell him about what happened to her while he was gone. She could save that story.

Peter yawned. Evelyn copied his action.

They both laughed quietly.

“It’s late,” Evelyn says, “time for bed?”

“Time for bed.”

“Night, Pete.”

“Night, Ev.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No more Evelyn chapters for a bit after this. I've been writing a lot for her and want to dedicate some more time to Peter and Tony.
> 
> ...
> 
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week!


	11. Eleven: Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you want too?” He asks, already knowing the answer.
> 
> “Get to properly use our powers for the first time in months? Hell yeah.”
> 
> “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to stop warning you when a chapter is long, because, at this point, they all might just be long chapters. But, yeah... another long one.

Peter wakes up with his head at the end of the bed, and his foot in his sister’s face.

He wiggles his toes as he attempts to wake himself up, and Evelyn sputters.

“Jesus, Peter!” She cries, shoving his foot away from her chin and back onto the bed.

Peter just snickers.

“Well, aren't you two just the cutest.”

Peter and Evelyn’s heads both whip towards the noise, and they see Tony standing in the doorframe. His arms are crossed over his chest, and his lips are forming a smirk.

Evelyn instantly sits up, and Peter pulls his foot away from his sister.

“Morning,” Tony greets, walking into the room.

“Morning,” Evelyn says and Peter can see her running her fingers through her hair.

Peter is currently trying to roll off of the bed without taking all of the blankets with him. He only slightly tumbles to the floor as he gets off the mattress, and jumps to his feet quickly.

“How did you manage to get to the end of the bed?” Tony asks, obviously amused.

Evelyn sighs. “He’s a mover. I don’t think he can ever sleep still.”

“Not true,” Peter interjects.

“Totally true,” she retaliates, “remember when you first got your powers and you somehow woke up plastered to the _ceiling?_ ”

“That was not a good night for me to be sleepwalking,” Peter says, slightly exasperated.

Evelyn snorts. 

Tony is smiling. “I just came to tell you two that breakfast was being made in the common room.”

Peter instantly perks up. “Breakfast?”

“Yeah. Steve’s making pancakes, I think. He told me to tell you that there will be lots.”

Peter’s stomach growled, almost as if in response to Tony. For a while, Peter actually forgot how hungry he was, but now the realization was crashing back into him like a wave, and he was itching to eat.

Ever since he got his powers, Peter’s metabolism has been off the charts. He has to eat much more than the regular teenager, but it was hard for Peter to keep his powers a secret when he would take plate full's of food.

The previous night, they had pizza for dinner. There was plenty of food to go around, but Peter felt weird about taking more than his share. He had eaten a total of four slices before deciding to stop, yet he could have gone for more.

Evelyn only ate two and a half. Her powers didn’t affect her metabolism like Peter’s, so she didn’t get hungry like him. If anything, Evelyn was never that hungry. She didn’t eat a lot, and maybe sometimes Peter found it worrying, but he never brought it up.

It just meant that she was always willing to share with him.

“I’ll see you down there soon?” Tony said, making to leave. “I trust you can find your way to the common room.”

Peter nodded. “Yep.”

“Good. You can always talk to FRIDAY if you have any questions.”

“We won’t, but okay.”

Peter still didn’t know how to feel about the AI. He had never lived with a butler, and definitely not a robotic one.

_Wait… is she a butler?_

He decides not to ask her that question out loud.

Tony leaves after a lingering second, and as soon as he is gone, Evelyn climbs out of the bed. She’s wearing pajama pants that are dotted in tiny stars, and a grey shirt.

“Are those new?” Peter asks, running a hand through his hair. “The pajamas.”  

Her fingers ruffle the base of his curls to help sort out his bed head. In sleep, his hair becomes much curlier, as he hasn’t run a comb through it yet.

Evelyn shakes her head. “Nope. Had ‘em for a while now.”

“Hmm.”

She has a hair elastic in her hand, and she flips her head over, pulling all of her hair back and tying it into a ponytail.

“What?” She asks when she catches him staring.

“Nothing.”

“Seriously. What?”

“ _Seriously_ , nothing.”

She starts to walk towards the door, but Peter’s still watching her, and she stops and gives an over exaggerated sigh.

At this point, Peter was just staring at her to be a tease. He tries not to giggle -- it’s not even that funny -- but it was really easy to get on Evelyn’s nerves when she was _this_ sleepy, and when Peter was _this_ sleepy, he got slightly giggly.   

He smiled wide, and her eyes narrowed.

“Stop it, you’re being weird.”

“I wasn’t staring.”

She is already walking out the door, and he jogs after her to keep up.

“You were,” she corrects, “but whatever. You need food. I’m sure people back in the city could hear your stomach growling.”

“Pancakes sound amazing.”

Finally, Evelyn smiles. They step into the elevator.

She hits the button for the floor below. “Now that’s something we agree on.”  

 

….

 

The first thing Peter is greeted with is the smell of food.

His over stimulated sense of smell makes it so that the aroma in the room is almost overwhelming, but his desire to eat pushes past any impending headaches.

The common room isn’t incredibly busy, but there is still a fair amount of people scattered around. Almost everyone has some form of food or beverage, and the huge television is on.

 _“Modern Family”_ is playing on a lower volume, and Wanda, Rhodey, and Sam are sitting on the couches, watching and eating.

Nat and Bruce are seated at the huge table; Bruce is reading a paper and eating something, and Nat has a book opened on the table in front of her. Her eyes scanned the pages as she slowly brought forkfuls of food to her mouth.

Steve is standing in front of the oven, while Tony is sitting at the breakfast bar with his own plate and mug.

Peter and Evelyn both start walking in his direction as soon as the elevator doors behind them close. They both get friendly _hello’s_ as they make their way past the couches, and they return them softly.

Tony has now noticed the two teenagers and smiles. “You were able to find us,” he says with a grin.

“It wasn’t too hard,” Evelyn says with a smile. “Pete almost got us lost once or twice.”

Peter didn’t exactly know how to join in on the banter, so he just shrugs lightly and gives a lopsided smile. “My fault, I guess.”

Evelyn gives her brother a playful slap on the arm, and the two of them both take seats the barstools beside Tony at the bar.

Steve looks over at them from the oven. A frying pan was in front of him, and he holds a spatula as two pancakes sizzle away. On the island behind him, there is already a huge plate of already made pancakes.

“You better be hungry,” the Captain says, “because I’ve made a lot.”

“ _A lot_ is an understatement,” Same pipes up from his spot on the couch. “I think he’s planning on feeding New York.”

“I made a lot of batter by mistake,” Steve says, almost shyly. “Don’t want any to go to waste.”

“I’m hungry,” Peter comments, and Steve practically beams at him.

“Awesome.”

Steve dishes the two fresh pancakes onto a plate and slides it in front of Peter. The man then looks to Evelyn with a questioning glance, and she nods an affirmative to his unasked question.

He then takes two from the large plate on the island and gives them to Evelyn.

She instantly reaches for the syrup bottle that is sitting close by and douses her food. Peter then snatches it from her grasp and does the same to his breakfast.

“Woah, do you want some pancake for that syrup?” Tony asks with a toothy grin.

Peter can’t answer properly. He’s already shoved his mouth full of food and gives Tony a smile. “It’s good.”

Tony just laughs.

That’s when Clint walks into the common room. He’s dressed in pajamas -- grey shirt and purple pants -- and still looks half asleep. He drags his feet under him like a zombie, and one of his fists rub at a half-open eye.

He makes his way into the open-concept kitchen and stops at one of the cabinets and pulls down a mug. He then takes the pot of already made coffee and pours himself a hearty amount.

Peter didn’t know how old that coffee was, and he almost wrinkled his nose in the thought of drinking cold, black coffee.

Clint took a sip, leaning against the counters and finally seeming to acknowledge every other person in the room.

The other Avengers seemed incredibly used to his morning behavior.

“Morning, Clint,” Steve says, washing up his frying pan. It looked as though he finally decided that he made enough pancakes.

“Can I have one?” Clint says in response, pointing at the plate of pancakes.

“That’s why they’re there,” Steve answers, hardly even giving the archer a sideways glance.

“Awesome.” Clint then takes a large pancake off the top of the pile and starts eating it like a slice of pizza.

He takes sips in between bites and seems to be waking up more and more with every swallow. He then notices Peter and Evelyn staring at him.

“How was your first night?” Clint asks the siblings.

Evelyn stiffens in response to him catching them watching him, and her eyes immediately fall on something else. Peter sets down his fork and finishes chewing before answering.

“It was good,” he says.

“Just good?”

Evelyn was looking back at Clint again. The man exchanges eye contact with her for a second, before looking back to Peter.

“It was great,” Peter says.

Clint finishes off his pancake and reaches for a second. “I know, those beds are amazing. I could sleep in them for hours. Sometimes I have to force myself to actually get up.”

“We know,” Tony snorts, taking in Clint’s pajamas and bed head.  

Clint just presses his lips together and looks like he’s about to say something, but Steve suddenly jumps in.

“How about training?” The Captain suggests, pulling the drain stopper on the sink, and the soapy water goes down the drain. “Today. We can train as a team. It’s been a bit. After breakfast. We can do it after breakfast.”

Steve’s wording is almost choppy, as it seems that he is desperately trying to change the subject of the conversation. Peter immediately picked up on some weird energy between Tony and Clint but decided it wasn’t his place to ask about.

The change of topic works for Clint, as he livens. “Yeah! We can see what kind of freaky powers you two are harboring.”

Peter and Evelyn immediately freeze. The feeling of dozens of eyes burn into Peter’s skin, but he can’t do anything. His heart is racing.

_Do they know? How in the hell do they know? How many other people--_

“I told them, guys,” Tony suddenly says, picking up on Peter and Evelyn’s inner thoughts and fears.

“You did?” Evelyn asks, her voice small. It’s the first thing she’s said in a while.

“Of course,” Tony nods, turning on his barstool and facing them. “I figured that out of anyone, these guys could keep this secret.”

“Don’t worry,” Clint says, crossing his arms over his chest. There was almost an unsettling smirk on Clint’s lips. Not at all reassuring. “We won’t tell.”

 

….

 

“Does this clash?”

Evelyn looks up from where she is sprawled out on Peter’s bed. “No? I don’t know.”

“You should.”

“Why? Because I’m a girl?”

“No, because you’re my sister and you’re supposed to help me. Now. Does this clash?”

“No. It looks good.”

Peter looks at the basketball shorts and exercise shirt he has in his hands. The bottoms are bright blue with black piping. The shirt is a nice red. He is already wearing black running shoes.

“Good,” he says and immediately ducks into the bathroom to change.

He leaves the door open just a crack, so he can still talk to Evelyn because he senses that she has something say. Her eyes look back to the ceiling.

“Why do you care about your outfit clashing?” She calls to him. “You never have before.”  

“Because this is important. We get to show off our powers to a whole group of _superheroes._ I don’t want to be doing something super cool, and look like an absolute idiot because my pants don’t go with my shirt.”

It sounds as though she laughs. “You worry too much.”

“Says you.”

She’s quiet and Peter is finished changing, so he leaves the bathroom and stands just outside the doorway like he’s posing for a camera.

Evelyn sits up and stares at him for a second, then snorts. “If you’re wondering how your outfit looks, the answer is good.”

Peter breaks his pose and Evelyn hops from the bed.

She’s wearing these leggings that are covered in a dark cyan, flower design and cut off mid-calf. She’s paired it with a sea green shirt, and grey shoes. Her hair is pulled back in a much cleaner ponytail then before.

“You think my outfit clashes?” She asks, giving a half turn.

“Who’s being the worrier now?”

“Just answer the question, Peter.”

Peter smirks. “No. You look good.”   

“Awesome. You ready?”

“No.”

“Great. Let’s do this.”

 

….

 

The gym is intimidating.

That’s the first thing that comes to Peter’s mind when he sees it, and he has to take a few subtle deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

Everyone is already there by the time Tony leads the twins to the facility, and everyone is wearing gym clothes and warming up in some form.

Tony is wearing a tee shirt and pair of sweats, and he smiles when he sees the twin’s decked out in their brand new clothing.

“Looking sharp,” He says and places a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“Totally. Those colors look good on you two.”

Tony then gets distracted by something to the right, and his attention is drawn. Evelyn elbows Peter lightly.

“I told you those colors don’t clash,” she says with a smirk, but Peter doesn't respond because he notices that a few people are watching them.

He suddenly feels nervous.

“Alright,” Rhodey claps his hands together and now everyone was paying attention, “what are we thinking? Cap? Just normal routine?”

Steve opens his mouth to say something, but Tony steps up.

“I know we all would love to partake in the five million pushups and crunches Cap has planned, but I have another idea--”

“I was actually going to suggest one on one sparring,” Steve grumbles, but Tony presses on.

“I would like to see what Evelyn and Peter could do,” Tony turns to look at the teens, and Peter feels incredibly put on the spot. “If they would be okay with that.”

Bruce suddenly jumps up from where he was sitting on a short set of bleachers. “I would actually like to see them, too. You know, for scientific reasons.”

“And because it would be cool,” Sam says with a smile.

“Yes,” Tony agrees, pointing at Sam, “very cool.”

Peter looks to Evelyn who is already staring at him. She looks a mix of panicked, nervous, and vaguely excited.   

Peter’s heart is hammering, but a smile that he can’t help is creeping along his lips.

“Do you want too?” He asks, already knowing the answer.

“Get to properly use our powers for the first time in months? Hell yeah.”

“Me too.”

Steve sighs, but he’s grinning. “Alright. Let’s get too it then.”

 

….

 

After running up to his room to grab something, Peter was back in the gym and nervously ready to show off.

“Who wants to go first?” Tony asks.

The entire Avengers team has seated themselves on the set of bleachers, leaving Evelyn and Peter to stand in front of them, like they were on a stage and going to put on a show.

“Peter can,” Evelyn instantly says and flashes her brother an apologetic smile.  

Peter huffs. “I will.”

Evelyn sprints towards the bleachers and sits down on the first row of benches, leaving Peter standing alone.  

“What do you want to see?” Peter asks.

“Just show us what you’ve got,” Steve says, resting his elbows on his knees. “It’s good to know what we’re working with. That way we can create training regiments that will work with your abilities and skills.”

“Oh, okay.”

Peter then reaches into his pocket and pulls out his web shooters. Most of the team leans forward to try and get a better look, and Evelyn gives a knowing smile.

“Um, so these are my web shooters,” Peter explains, “I made them myself, and they are loaded with a special web fluid to help me get around faster.”

Peter clips the wrist bands into place on his arms, and aims his left arm up, towards the ceiling. He presses the button on his palm, and a thin, yet strong, string of web shoots up and attaches itself to the thirty-foot high ceiling.

As soon as it connects, Peter pulls on the web, and he goes shooting upwards. Everyone watches in astonishment as he swings around for a minute or two, then ends up getting enough momentum that he can launch himself towards the ceiling.

It sounds like someone yelps down on the ground, as it looks as though he will crash right into the roof. But he is able to stop himself in time, and places his feet on the beams of the ceiling, sticking himself to it successfully, and hanging upside down.  

“Jesus Christ,” Tony says from the ground.

“Are you okay?” Nat calls out.

Peter is grinning from ear to ear. He forgot how exhilarating it was to be Spider-Man again. And maybe he wasn’t _exactly_ being Spider-Man, but this was closer then he’d ever gotten in months, and he was suddenly full of energy.

“I’m good!” Peter calls down.

He attaches a second web to the ceiling next to him, and in one fluid motion, un-sticks his feet from their position, and uses the web to lower himself to the ground.

When he is properly standing, he just smiles at everyone else.

They all look amazed; well, except for Evelyn. Evelyn is just beaming.

“So, I’m also sticky,” Peter says with a laugh. “It’s the weird spider part. My hands, feet… basically all of me. I’ve learned to control it now, but in the beginning, it was a little crazy. I also have super strength, and enhanced senses and my metabolism is a little off the charts, and…”

“How old are you again?” Clint asks, looking a little shocked.

“Fifteen. Almost sixteen.”

The archer sits back with a long exhale. “God, kid.”

Peter then looks to her sister, “Your turn.”

She sits up straighter. “What? Don’t you have more to show?”

Peter grins. “Nope. Your turn.”

They trade places, and Peter watches with excitement as Evelyn situates herself.

“So, uh, I can control the four natural elements. You know, earth, air, fire, and water. I’m better at the air and earth one, but with the other two… I’m still practicing. Okay, I’ll just go, then."

She gets quiet, and her eyes squeeze shut. She lets her hands fall open at her sides, and suddenly, the hair in her ponytail starts to whip around like it’s caught in the wind.  

Then, she’s floating.

She brings herself higher and higher, and when she opens her eyes, she’s smiling.

Peter can see it; the moment all stress leaves her body and all she is feeling in pure joy. It’s the exact same thing he feels when he's’ swinging around on a web, and exactly what they experience when darting through the streets of New York and stopping criminals.   

And then she’s flying all around the room. Every dart and turn is accompanied by the sound of her laughter, and a few times, she hoots and hollers.

When she finally lowers herself back to the ground, she doesn't stop to explain what she’s going to do. She just does it.

She spots some boxing dummies set up close by, and she opens her hands, aiming her palms at the dummies and sending a strong blast of wind in that direction. In a matter of seconds, the dummies have been blown over and are thrown across the room.

Evelyn watches it hit the far wall and then looks back to the group.

Most of their mouths are hanging wide open.

“So, I can manipulate the air and wind to work with me. I can also fly.” She says with a sheepish smile.

“What about the other three elements?” Tony says, and Evelyn brightens.

“Oh, right. Of course.”

Evelyn runs over and grabs her water bottle. She unscrews the cap and uses one hand to draw the water out in an almost snake-like coil. She allows the water to dance around in the air and then turn into a sphere.

The ball of water dances over her fingers, and then she puts it back into the bottle, looking completely untouched.

“As I said, water and fire aren't my strongest. But I’m still working on them.” She puts the bottle down at her feet and looks around suddenly. “Um, earth… Do you guys have a big, open field?”

 

….

 

They were standing on a large field of open grass behind the garage.

Everyone was standing in a huge group, watching and waiting for Evelyn to start.

Peter watches sister as she pulls off her shoes and socks, wiggling her toes in the perfectly trimmed grass.

She then closes her eyes once more and raises her hands to waist level. Her fingers clench as she taps into her power, and the smallest traces of a smile pass over her lips.

Suddenly, the ground starts to tremble and in a matter of seconds, giant spikes of dirt and rock burst from the ground. They look sharp and deadly, and Evelyn snaps her index finger and thumb, and the spikes crumble back into the dirt.

Evelyn opens her eyes, and she is smiling so wide, that her grin is actually showing some teeth. Peter hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time.

“Woah,” the group says, and Peter gives her a complimentary nod.  

Evelyn is practically jittering from excitement.

“Fire?” Peter prompts, and Evelyn nods happily.

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small lighter she had stashed. With one hand, she flicks it on, and with the other, she allows it to dance around the small flame.

The flame suddenly grows so big that it's almost as big as her head, and the entire lighter melts into liquid. Everyone takes a huge step back.

With one motion, Evelyn closes her fist and the flame disappeared, all traces of it completely gone.

Peter approaches his sister quickly, and she gives one of those joyous squeals out of excitement. Before he can even say anything, she is jumping into his arms and squeezing him into a tight hug.

“They’re fifteen,” Clint exclaims quietly, sounding completely flabbergasted.

Steve chuckles. “Looks like we got our work cut out for us,” the captain looks to the twins, “happy to have you two with us.”

Peter couldn’t remember the last time he was happier.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to keep trying to get these chapters out on time, but I'm entering into the final month of school for the year, and work is really picking up. I'll try to make sure that these aren't too late, but no promises. 
> 
> Sorry if I focused a lot on Evelyn when showing their powers. It's just that we all already know all the cool and amazing stuff Peter can do, so I wanted to focus on her because she's an OC and we don't already know what she can do. I'm excited to start writing patrol and mission scenes for these two. 
> 
> Also, if Clint seems like a little bit of dick in this, I don't mean him any harm. Clint is great. I've always loved Hawkeye.  
> I'm just thinking in terms of how this is taking place so soon after CW, that it would seem in character for him to be pissed off with Tony and Team IronMan. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week.


	12. Twelve: Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “They’ve been here going on two nights, and you are already pulling them all-nighters to make gifts?”
> 
> “As I said, it’s important.”
> 
> Pepper’s smile returns. “Okay, then show me the oh so important gifts.”

That night, dinner was a group effort. It made Tony smile to see everyone working together to make the food and set up the table. It was the closest they had ever looked to being a family in a long time.

Peter was chopping carrots to put into a pot on the stove top, and Evelyn was helping Wanda and Rhodey to set the table. The room was filled with laughter and voices, and someone had turned on some distant music.

“Can you put these out?” Pepper asked Tony, holding out a stack of side plates.

Tony took them without hesitation. “Sure, Pep.”

For a split second, Pepper almost looked surprised, and Tony stopped.

Then, Pepper was smirking. “I thought you didn’t like being handed things.”

Tony didn’t know how to respond, and Pepper’s smirk was fading into a smile. “Are we past that?”

“Hmm, yeah. I guess we are.”

Pepper kissed Tony on the cheek and quickly ran a soft thumb over his jawline. “Good. Now, take the plates to the table.”

“Yes, madam.”

Dinner was better than Tony expected, especially since he knew that everyone cooked it, and it was a fact that over half of these people didn’t properly know how to boil water.

While they ate, they seemed to hold up a pretty stable and chatty conversation, and Tony watched Peter and Evelyn even join in once or twice. Peter cleared his plate faster then Tony expected, but then the man remembered how the boy mentioned his advanced metabolism, and Tony piled more food onto Peter’s plate without asking.

Peter flashed him an appreciative smile and set to work at shoveling as much mashed potatoes into his mouth as he could. Tony just smiled.

Evelyn picked at her food next to Peter. Tony guessed that she didn’t have the same hunger problems as her brother, as there was still some food left on her plate. She dragged the remains of her meal around with her fork, and at this point, it didn’t look all too appealing.

She had mixed her peas, carrots, and corn into her mashed potatoes, and the whole thing was just one lumpy mess.

The girl was staring at her plate, completely lost in thought, and Peter was too busy talking to Rhodey to even notice his sister’s state. Tony was about to say something -- he felt bad, Evelyn looked kinda bored -- but Bruce spoke before he could.

“So Peter, Evelyn, if you don’t mind my asking, how did you get your powers?”

Both of the siblings were now staring at Bruce from where he sat across the table.

Peter smiles, a bit nervously Tony realized, but the boy was willing to answer Bruce’s question. “Um, it’s kinda a weird story. I was on a field trip to a research facility and when we were being shown around, we were shown these spiders that were being experimented on, and one was radioactive, and it somehow got out. It ended up biting me, and the next morning I woke up with these powers.”

Bruce pulls out a notepad from the pocket of his sweater and starts writing something down. Tony notices that he underlines the words **_Radioactive Spider Bite_** at least four times.

“A _radioactive_ spider?” Bruce asks, just to clarify.  

“Yeah,” Peter confirms, “it even left a scar.” He holds out his right forearm and points at a tiny mark just in front of the crook of his elbow.

“Are you sure that’s a scar?” Sam asks, leaning forward to get a better look.

“It’s totally a scar,” Peter says, hiding his arm back under the table.

“Okay,” Bruce mumbles then looks to Evelyn. “Evelyn?”

The girl looks paler than normal. Even a little sick at second glance. When she speaks, her voice is stiff and her answer is rushed. “A rock.”

“A rock?”

“Yes. She-- _Peter_ suspects it was alien.”

“That was the only logical answer,” Peter cuts in, taking over for his sister. Evelyn deflates beside him. “But we had a… friend. A friend who was a scientist and they found this stone, and Evelyn got her hands on it, and then it was just like everything went _kablam!”_ Peter makes a motion like a bomb is blowing up with his hands, and Evelyn smiles slightly at the over exaggerated movements.

Peter’s brown eyes light up as he tells the story. “Stuff just blew up, and, and… it was crazy. Then Evie just had these crazy new powers, and our toilet blew up.”

Clint laughs, “Your toilet?”

All tension that Evelyn previously showed has now disappeared, and she jumps in. “Yeah, for the first few weeks, my powers were pretty haywire, and I didn’t know how to handle them. I just _touched_ the toilet and it completely exploded.”

Peter is trying and failing to hold back laughter. “It was so funny.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk. What about the time you simply tried to _open_ a door, and ripped it _and_ the door frame right out of the wall?”

Peter stops laughing. “Yeah, people were not happy about that one.”

And that’s how the rest of dinner continues. The group of superheroes sitting around the table, laughing and bantering until every plate was clear and people were cleaning up.

They had dinner late, so by the time they were done clean up, it was almost ten, and Tony could see Peter and Evelyn falling asleep.

They were piled on top of each other on one of the couches. Peter was using Evelyn’s shoulder as a pillow, and she had her free arm thrown over the back of the couch. Someone had thrown a colorfully knit blanket over them, and they were both having a hard time keeping their eyes open.

They were watching Star Wars -- Tony didn’t know which one -- because apparently, Peter was a fan. In the beginning, Peter would tap Evelyn every few minutes and say, “oh look, it’s the good part.”

Apparently, to Peter, every scene was _“the good part”_ , but Evelyn would watch anyway.

Yet now an hour into the movie, the siblings were falling asleep on top of each other, and Peter was too tired to point out scenes. Tony just chuckles as he watches Evelyn’s head fall forward, and then bounce back up as she catches herself.

“Alright, bedtime,” Tony says loudly, clapping his hands in attempts to wake them up.

Peter’s eyes fly open. “But the movie--”

“The movie can wait. It’s late.”

Peter sits up, and Evelyn snaps awake.

“I’m not tired,” Peter says, but it’s followed by a yawn and half of the people in the room chuckle.  

“Come on, Kiddo’s,” Tony says, pulling the blanket off of Evelyn. “Even super-enhanced people need a good nights rest.”

“Does that mean that you will be getting to sleep at a reasonable time, tonight?” Pepper asks, standing behind the sofa.

Tony makes a face like he’s contemplating it, “Hmm, don’t know. We’ll see. Alright, up and at ‘em guys!”  

Evelyn stands without protest and wanders towards the elevator. Peter blinks at Tony tiredly for a second, then follows. Both of them mumble _good night’s_ to the remaining team members, and the elevator doors open.

Tony sticks close to them, making sure they don’t fall asleep against the elevator walls. Pepper just shakes her head at him as the doors slide closed.

As soon as Peter and Evelyn are tucked into bed and drifting into sleep, Tony makes for his lab, a new special project the front and only thing on his mind.  

 

….

 

“So I guess you won’t be getting to sleep.”

Tony spins around to see Pepper leaning against the doorframe, her slender arms crossed over her chest. She smiles because she knows she’s right.  

Tony rubs the corners of his eyes with his thumb and index fingers. A long sigh escapes him, which then turns into a yawn that he tries to hide.

Pepper chuckles under her breath.

“I’m doing important work,” Tony explains.

The music he had playing in the background drones on, but he realizes that Friday turned it down as soon as Pepper starts talking. Tony can feel the vibrations of the bass line from a Nirvana song as they travel across the floor and into his feet.

“Important work?” Pepper asks, making her way into the room. The glass door closes behind her. “I thought your schedule was cleared. You were taking a break, at least until Evelyn and Peter were comfortable.”

“Yeah, well, this is an exception. I’m making something for them.”

“For them?” Pepper’s eyebrow arches, “They’ve been here going on two nights, and you are already pulling them all-nighters to make gifts?”

“As I said, it’s _important._ ”

Pepper’s smile returns. “Okay, then show me the oh so important gifts.”

Tony turns around in his deluxe swivel chair and faces the giant, holographic screens floating over his work table. On the two screens that are right in front of him, are projections of concept ideas for two different superhero suits.

“You’re making them suits,” Pepper muses, her blue eyes running over the images on the screen.

One of them was obviously for Peter. It was built for a more male figure, and there were mockup sketches of a spider design that Tony thought he could incorporate in some way.

The other one was for Evelyn. He had notes and data pulled up on the screen next to her suit design. He wanted to find a way to make it work perfectly with her powers. Aerodynamic, flame resistant, waterproof, and totally lightweight.  

On a screen to Tony’s right was the plans to building Peter some new web shooters. The ones the boy had made were fine, but it was painfully obvious how homemade they were, and he could only offer the kid the best.

“What do you think?” Tony asked his fiancé. He could feel her staring, and her hair fell over her shoulder and tickled his cheek.

“They look good. Professional.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. But not very subtle. It will be hard for them to stay hidden.”

Tony almost laughed. “Pep, when have you ever known me to be subtle? Besides, they’ll have masks, so with their identities protected, what's the harm in having a little fun? I think they will like them.”

Pepper gives him a gentle kiss on the temple. “I think so as well. I like the colors.”

“Oh, that’s good, because that’s the one thing I was having a little trouble with.”

“No. They’re good.”

Tony had decided to take inspiration off of the siblings themselves, and based the color schemes off of the training clothes they were wearing earlier. The bright reds, blues, and black accents for Peter’s suit. Evelyn’s suit was focused more on the greens and blues. He finally settled on the combination of seafoam green, with dark cyan. The accents on her’s would be black as well.

Pepper places a hand on Tony’s shoulder, and he spins in his chair to face her. She leans down with a grin, and he returns it as she leans in for a kiss. When their lips meet, it’s wonderful and tender and full of a soft joy.

Tony smiles into the kiss, and that only makes Pepper giggle. She runs her fingers over the nape of his neck and into the base of his hairline. Her tumb plays with the shorter hair there, and the motion sends slow tingles down Tony’s spine.

But suddenly, the music playing overhead changes, and Tony pulls away quickly.

“Wha--” Pepper starts, but cuts herself off as Tony stands and takes her hand, pulling her into a large, empty space of the lab.

“FRIDAY, please turn up the music,” Tony says with a grin.

The AI complies without response.

The song playing is “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” by Queen _._ Pepper doesn't look all too confused for any longer though, because Tony places her hands on his shoulders, and his hands find her hips. They start to slow dance to the music, and Pepper is smiling once again.

“This isn’t really the right dance for this song,” she says, as she moves along with Tony.

“I have two left feet,” Tony replies, “so if you want dancing, this is the best you are going to get.”

“I don’t know how much I believe the two-left-feet thing,” Pepper says, “but this is nice. I’ll let it slide.”

“Perfect.”

Tony starts to mouth the words to the song, yet his actions are tremendously over-dramatized, and after a verse or two, he has Pepper laughing out loud. Tony had decided a long time ago that that laugh was one of the most incredible sounds in the world.

“You have the weirdest taste in music, Tony Stark,” Pepper says, trying not to laugh as Tony lip syncs to the chorus. “Nirvana, Queen, sometimes Kiss, Journey… I could go on.”

“You’re forgetting about the Britney Spears songs.”

“How could I?”

Tony pulls her in the tiniest bit closer. “It’s not weird. It’s good.”

“Each song is good on their own, but together, it’s very strange.”

Tony shrugs, “It works for me. As long as I can get stuff done, I honestly don’t care.”

The song reaches its end, but Tony doesn't let go of Pepper. He was savoring this moment, and in his opinion, he could live in it forever and never regret it.

The next song that comes on is another one by Queen. The intro for “Love of My Life” starts up, and Tony stares down at the woman in his arms.

The wonderful, beautiful, confident, _extraordinary_ woman who he was lucky enough to get to spend the rest of his life with.

When Freddie Mercury starts to sing, Tony doesn't just mouth the lyrics, he sings as well. It’s not loud, his voice is soft, but Pepper can hear him all the same, and she looks surprised.

As Tony continues to sing, Pepper leads them in the soft swaying they called dancing, and soon her surprised expression melts into one of love. Her eyes sparkle as they roam Tony’s face, and the corners of her mouth turn up.  

Tony finally reaches the chorus. _“Love of my life, don’t leave me…”_

As he sings, he presses his lips softly against Pepper’s forehead and continues to mumble the words into her hairline. She exhales in a way that fills Tony’s stomach with butterflies, and he can feel her close her eyes.

 _“Bring it back, bring it back. Don’t take it away from me. Because you don’t know, what it means to me.”_  

Tony stops singing and draws back to look at Pepper. She opens her eyes are stares at him; all freckles, and sky blue irises, and utter perfection.

“You’re the love of my life,” Tony whispers.

Pepper nods gently. Her eyes maybe look a little watery. Tony’s definitely are.

Tony continues, “I am the luckiest person in the whole world. You could have gone with any other idiot, and yet, you picked this one. Who would have expected that?”

“I definitely didn’t,” Pepper says softly.

“I promise,” Tony starts, “to never let you go again. No matter what. You’re my end, Pepper Potts. You are my endgame.”

Pepper nods. Her eyes were definitely watery now.

Tony brushes a piece of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. “You are also very lucky as well.”

Pepper gives him a questioning look.

“You were the first person to ever hear Tony Stark sing. I hope you enjoyed it, because it was the last time you will ever hear it again.”  

Pepper laughs, and her hand finds the place where Tony’s neck meets his shoulder. Her thumb rubs over his skin.

“It was beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, my music taste is a lot like Tony's. My playlist is just a jumbled mess of random genres, but I like it, and I can write to it, so I don't really mind. 
> 
> Also, Peter's suit is just going to be his classic spider suit, but I have a complete design for Evelyn's. I know I won't be able to explain it with words, but I want you guys to know what it looks like, so I'll figure out some other way to show it. I'm not the best artist, but I'll figure it out. 
> 
> Also also, happy pride month to everyone who identifies with the LGBTQIA+ community! I hope you all have a great June!! 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week.


	13. Thirteen: Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Please don’t go.”
> 
> “We gotta, Baby. Just a few days though. Just a few days.” Leah says softly, rocking the child.
> 
> Just a few days.
> 
> Home before we know it.

_Seven years prior:_

 

“Be good, okay?”

Peter nods his head, floppy curls falling in front of his big eyes.

“They’ll be good, don’t worry,” May reassures from her place behind the boy.

Leah Turner’s perfect face twists into an uneasy expression. She runs a finger over her son’s cheek and Peter leans into the touch. Her calloused fingers lightly brush away the hair that has fallen, so she can see his brown eyes.

His eyes look a little watery, and Leah smiles softly.

“Love you, Bug,” Leah says and Peter can’t take it anymore. He jumps into his mother’s grasp and wraps his arms around her neck in a tight hug.

“Love you, Momma,” Peter replies, burying his face into her hair.

He was trying his best not to cry. Dad wanted him to be _“a big boy”_ while they were gone. Peter forces his face to look normal, but Leah saw right through that. She _was_ his mother after all.

“It’s just a few days, Petey,” the woman says giving him one last squeeze.

Peter unwinds his arms from around his neck. “Right. Just a few days.”

Leah smiles and touches the end of the eight-year old’s nose. “We’ll be home before you know it.”

Peter finds himself smiling at the thought of his parents returning. _Just a few days. Home before I know it._

“You’re going to have a ton of fun with Aunt May and Uncle Ben,” Richard Parker says, showing up behind Peter and wrapping his arms around his small son. “More fun then you’ll know what to do with.”

Evelyn was holding onto her father’s pant leg with an iron grip. Her blonde hair is messy, and her under eyes slightly red. The only person who didn’t want Leah and Richard to go more than Peter was Evelyn.

Richard gives Peter a kiss on the cheek, and then a raspberry, and the boy erupts into giggles. Richard pulls away smiling.  

Leah holds her arms open for Evelyn, and the little girl moves from her father to her mother, holding onto the woman tighter than necessary.

“Please don’t go,” Evelyn mumbles into Leah’s sandy blonde hair. “Please Mumma.”

“We gotta, Baby. Just a few days though. Just a few days.” Leah says softly, rocking the child.

_Just a few days._

_Home before we know it._

Evelyn eventually lets go of Leah, and the girl wanders over to stand next to her brother. Peter’s hand found hers, and he squeezed in the way that Dad did to comfort him. He hoped it would help her.

“Who’s gonna sing to us at bed?” Evelyn asks her mother.

“Aunt May can, right May?” Leah says, looking at her daughter.

“Of course I can,” May responds.

 _It won’t be the same,_ Peter thinks to himself.

May stood behind the children, smiling reassuringly. “Go on you two, I’m sure Ben’s already waiting out front with the car.”

Richard gave his daughter a quick kiss to the top of her head, “Love ya, Sprout.”

“Bye, Daddy.”

The man then held out his fist, and Peter bumped it with his own small hand, giving a soft giggle.

“There we go,” Richard says, trying to keep his children’s spirits up. “Alright Wonder Twins, see you soon.”

“Love you both so much,” Leah says and grabs her suitcase.

Peter nodded. In that exact moment, he was able to witness Richard Parker and Leah Turner for all their glory. Richard and his deep brown hair, his chocolaty eyes that always glowed, and his rectangular, wire-rimmed glasses. The subtle wrinkles around his mouth from constant smiling.

Leah and her sandy blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders, her ice blue eyes that, despite the color, were always warm, and the freckles that dotted the bride of her nose and trailed onto her cheeks. There were wrinkles and small creases at her temples.

In Peter’s mind, everything about them was absolutely perfect. They were his parents; he wouldn’t want it any other way.

The couple walked out the door, and Peter waved. Evelyn did the same but slower.

Peter heard one last, “I love you guys,” before the door closed, and the moment was broken forever.

 

….

 

At mid-morning, before the sun had even broken over the horizon, Peter was woken by a tearful May who delivered him some of the worst news of his life.

It hadn’t even been ten hours. Peter had talked to them less than ten hours ago, and he never would again.

“There was an accident, Pete,” May said, “they won’t be coming home.”

That sentence was far too hard to process at 2:47 in the morning and Peter just stared at her for almost a minute before tearing up.

“What do you mean?” Peter asked, voice choking. “They said they would be back.”

“I know, but--”

“Mumma said, _just a few days._ ”

“Peter. She might have--”

“That can’t be right. They said they would see us soon.”

“Baby,” May cooed just as Peter burst into sobs.

He wanted to resist May’s embrace, but he was so tired, and sobbing far too much to push away, so he just let the woman wrap her thin arms around him. After a few minutes, Peter noticed that she was also crying, and she pressed her face into his curls.

It turned out the Ben told Evelyn, and when he informed her of the situation, she just sat there. Doing absolutely nothing. After a few minutes of him watching her, he noticed the tears dripping down her cheeks. When he hugged her, she fell into his chest like a rag doll.

Peter sleeps in the same bed as Evelyn for the next month. He holds her hand as often as can; and when it gets too quiet, he asks her to talk. He clung to her as much as he could, and maybe to others, it would look like an obsession, but to Peter, she was simply the last thing that reminded him of home.

He made a promise to himself. Evelyn was all he had left of his parents, and he was going to hang onto those remains for as long as he could.

 

….

 

_Present day:_

 

Peter opens his eyes to complete darkness.

_Where am I?_

His first gut instinct was that he was dead. But on second thought, that didn’t make any sense. When he touched his arm, he could feel it… kinda.

But his senses feel dulled, and it filled his stomach with panic that he was still surrounded by complete darkness.

He was about to slap himself when a distant voice snaps him from his thoughts.

_“Peter… Peter where are you?”_

The voice sounded distressed, and even if he couldn’t pick out who it was in the moment but if someone needed help, he was going to give it to them.

He could feel his feet, so he started to run. He couldn’t tell where he was going, but he just ran. The voice called him more.

_“Peter! Peter, come on!”_

As he ran, his vision was suddenly filled with flashes. At first, they were just bits of light, but as he stared harder, he recognized certain images.

Memories.

Richard and him playing at Central Park; Leah and Evelyn singing while Peter sat and listened; The whole family watching a movie; Leah and him throwing snowballs at Richard; Peter and Evelyn curled up next to their father on the couch, all of them drifting into sleep, and Leah taking a photo.

Peter knew all of these. He had lived through all of these. Seeing them was heartbreaking. Seeing his mother and father _living_ , and knowing that that could never be again.

The voice flooded his mind once more.

_“Peter! Pete, over here!”_

Peter squeezed his eyes shut and ignored the memories, racing faster towards the voice. It felt so oddly familiar, but he couldn’t place it no matter how hard he tried.

Finally, all of the memories faded from view, and Peter found what he was racing towards.

His mother was standing before him, looking exactly the way she had the last time they had ever spoken.

Peter froze, not knowing what to do. Leah smiled.

_“You found me, Bug. I knew you would.”_

Peter swallowed thickly. It was hard to tell if this was in real life anymore. Maybe he actually _was_ dead.

“Mom--” Peter started, reaching a shaky hand towards the woman.

But in less than a second, his mother transformed from herself, into Evelyn. Peter blinked at the vision of his sister standing before him.

Except now, it was different. Leah had been fine. Completely normal, and healthy, and radiant. But everything about Evelyn looked wrong.

Her skin was sickly, her hair stringy, and eyes red and puffy. Yet the worst of it was that she was holding her abdomen in absolute pain, crimson blood seeping through her fingers and dripping down her legs; just like how Ben held his stomach after he was shot.

Peter watched her with wide eyes and a pounding heart.

When she spoke, her voice was angry and scared.

_“You could have saved me, Peter. You could have stopped this.”_

Peter takes a heavy step forward, but no matter how close he tries to get, she always seems a few feet away.

“Evie, I--”

_“This is your fault.”_

“No,” Peter chokes out. “I-- please, no. Don’t think I did this. I would never want this, Evie.”

Her face turns cold. Practically lifeless.

_“No fake apologies, Peter. Time for you to face what was coming.”_

And then she crumples. Falling to the ground faster than Peter can catch, her clothes bloody and skin pale. Her stormy eyes horribly glazed over.

The sight makes Peter want to be sick.

He holds his chest and sobs and sobs, the tears not falling fast enough. They stream down his face, and _oh god,_ he can feel how hot they are. How they stick to his skin and prickle his neck as they trail down to the collar of his shirt.

Evelyn is just lying there, completely gone.

He tries to reach out, but this hellscape won’t let him. She’s always too far.

“Evelyn!” Peter shouts into the darkness. “Evelyn, I’m sorry! I’m so _fucking_ sorry!”

She doesn't stir.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

He falls to his knees harshly; pain flares and crawls down legs.

“I’m so sorry, Evelyn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, if you didn't know, in this fic Mary isn't Peter and Evelyn's mom. Their mother is actually another OC that I came up with for this story. 
> 
> I honestly don't really know how I feel about this chapter, but it's all I got so I'm gonna live with it. 
> 
> The first part is just a memory so you can see the last moments of Peter with his parents, but also so I can tie it to the nightmare he was experiencing in current time. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week.


	14. Fourteen: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me…”
> 
> “What are you doing?” Peter asks, his voice only slightly muffled.
> 
> “Singing. Now, be quiet.”
> 
> Peter stays silent.

Evelyn wakes up to Peter kicking her in the thigh. 

“Ow!” She grumbles, rousing herself. “Peter--” 

She cuts herself off when she notices Peter tossing and turning in sleep. Tears are streaming down his face, and he is mumbling something, his voice scratchy. 

“No, Evelyn… sorry… sorry…”

Evelyn sits up quickly, moving to where Peter was practically thrashing on the far side of the bed. She didn’t remember leaving her bed earlier in the night, but she knows that she hadn’t been here for long, and Peter was sleeping earlier when she curled up on the opposite side. 

She had been trying not to disturb him. It looked as though he didn’t have the same plans for her. 

“Peter,” Evelyn whispered, trying to wake up her brother. “Peter, wake up.” 

Peter doesn't seem to hear her; the nightmare he was experiencing firmly kept him in its grasp. 

“Pete,” she said now, louder than before. “Peter, come on. Peter.” 

She places a hand on his shoulder, and as soon as she makes contact, Peter sits up with a jolt and a gasp. 

He looks around the room with wild eyes, and Evelyn just stares at her brother, waiting for him to calm down. 

His gaze finally lands on her, and his eyes examine her closely. “Evelyn?” 

She just nods her head. 

He lets out a gasp, “Oh thank god. You’re here.” 

“Where else would I be?” 

His answer to that is to break down into sobs. He stares at her as tears run down his face; shaky cries erupting from his throat.

“Hey,” Evelyn starts, pulling him into her arms. He places his forehead on her shoulder. “Petey.” 

Peter wraps his arms around her waist and hugs her tightly, still sobbing into her nightshirt. She places one hand on his back, and her other finds its way into his hair. His curls sprout out from in between her fingers, soft to the touch.  

Peter’s chest jumps as he hiccups through every sob and cry. 

At this point, Evelyn didn’t know what to do. Of course, she had seen Peter cry before; considering what they’ve been through, she’s seen Peter cry more times then she can count. It doesn't surprise her anymore when he tears up. 

But it’s been a while since the last time she’s witnessed it. She figures the last time he cried this hard was when he was with Julia and Albert, and she can’t even be sure about it. 

But if he did cry this hard with them, she’s sure that they didn’t handle it the best. 

Evelyn wasn’t going to do that. She knew her brother. She knew how to calm him down, and she wasn’t afraid to help him if he needed it. 

When Evelyn starts to sing, Peter actually stops crying, most likely out of surprise. 

_ “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me…”  _

“What are you doing?” Peter asks, his voice only slightly muffled. 

“Singing. Now, be quiet.” 

Peter stays silent. 

_ “Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be…”  _

As she sings, Peter starts to cry again, but Evelyn doesn't blame him. She almost tears up herself. “Let It Be” was the song that their Mom always used to sing to them when they were kids. 

And even though Evelyn doesn't sing half as good as Leah, she’s trying, and to her benefit, it seems to be helping in calming Peter down. 

_ “Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree. There will be an answer, let it be...”  _

“Thank you,” Peter mumbles. 

Evelyn smiles, and the few tears that were in her eyes finally slip free. She can feel them roll down her face and land in Peter’s hair. 

“You’re welcome, Pete.”  __

Suddenly, the room is filled with a faint glow, and both Peter and Evelyn look up to see Tony standing the doorway. It’s hard to see his face since the light is coming from behind him, but they can tell it’s him nonetheless.  __

Tony quickly makes his way into the room, shutting the door behind them and encasing them in darkness once more. 

“Are you two okay?” Tony asks, stopping in front of the bed. 

Peter sniffles loudly, and Evelyn is realizing now that her arms are still wrapped around her brother, as his arms are still wrapped around her. 

Evelyn can practically feel the worry radiating off of Tony, and since neither of them is giving him an answer, it only gets worse.

“Lights at fifteen percent, FRI,” Tony says, and the darkness slowly fades away, giving them just enough light that Evelyn can actually see Tony’s face now. 

The man notices that both of the teenagers have been crying, and he sits down at the foot of the mattress, concern etched into his features. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“It was nothing,” Evelyn says, voice a little choked. 

Tony doesn’t buy that for a second; she can see it. 

He shakes his head, “I don’t think so. Are you guys okay?” 

“It was a bad dream,” Peter replies, almost sounding a little embarrassed. “I had a nightmare.”   

Evelyn is just noticing now that Tony is still wearing the same clothes he had on when they went to bed, so he must not have gotten any sleep, even though the clock on the bedside table read 3:15 a.m. 

_ God, it’s late.  _

“Oh,” Tony says, resting a hand on the comforter, close to where Peter’s foot was sitting. “It must have been  _ really _ bad.” 

Peter is silent for a long moment as he seems to be reliving the dream and then says in a quiet voice, “Yeah. It was.” 

Evelyn wants to hug her brother tightly again, but she doesn't because Tony was there. If the man wasn’t, Evelyn would have wrapped Peter up in her embrace until he was fully calmed down. 

Instead, she just reaches a hand down and places it on her brother’s knee. That small gesture is enough to make Peter tear up again, and then he’s throwing himself back into his sister’s embrace. 

She runs a hand up and down his back, and can’t help herself when she starts shushing him gently, almost like he is a baby that she is trying to comfort back into sleep. Maybe that was only half true. 

Tony watches them fondly, and Evelyn doesn't feel embarrassed anymore. All she can think about is comforting Peter. How she needs to focus on that and only that.

She starts to sway back and forth slightly, and she can tell how tired her brother is, by the way his cries are now just turning into small whimpers. He had a pretty restless night, and her rhythmic motions are obviously lulling him back into sleep. 

After a few minutes, he stops crying, and Evelyn knows that he has fallen asleep. Tony smiles. 

“You going to put him down?” The man asks, staring at the back of Peter’s head. 

“In a minute. I want to make sure he’s really sleeping before I move him.” 

Tony nods. 

Even though he’s asleep, Peter’s grip on Evelyn doesn't falter. 

“Were you singing?” Tony asks. “Before I came in, I thought I could hear it.” 

She is still for a second before affirming. “Yeah. Our mom used to sing “Let It Be” to us as kids before bed, and I knew it would calm him down.” 

Tony picked at the comforter. “Oh, okay. Good to know.” 

Evelyn smiled. 

“You know, Kiddo,” Tony starts, “I know you think that you can’t live without Peter, but I really believe that Peter wouldn’t be able to live without  _ you _ .”

“Yeah?” 

“Of course. Who else would know to sing The Beatles to him to help him come down from a panic attack? That’s all you.”  

“I guess so.” 

“You  _ know _ so.”

Evelyn chuckles. “That’s a cliche line.” 

“Huh?” 

“That whole  _ ‘I guess so; you know so’  _ line is so cliche.” 

Tony smiles, then shakes his head. “I guess so.” 

“You  _ know  _ so,” Evelyn responds, giving a wicked smile.  __

Tony rolls his eyes. “Oh my god, you two are too much. I’m going to bed.” 

Evelyn watches him walk all the way to the door before saying softly, “Good night, Tony.” 

Peter snores softly on her shoulder. 

Tony stops, one hand holding the door frame. His expression is warm. “Good night, Ev.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now you know where the inspiration for the title of this fic comes from. It was always my goal to incorporate this song into the fic, even before I started writing it.  
> The Beatles were a huge part of my childhood, and still are, so I wanted to relate that back to the Parker's in some way or another. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week.


	15. Fifteen: Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But it’s May. Is there even a point?”
> 
> “There is definitely a point,” Rhodey says, giving a pointed look at Tony. “School is important.”

After living at the compound for almost a complete week, the topic of school finally gets brought up.

It was late on the morning of the first Friday of living with Tony, and Peter was only eating breakfast now. Evelyn sat beside him; a bowl of cornflakes getting soggy on the table in front of her. Peter had his own plate of toaster waffles that he was trying his best at not inhaling.

His stomach growled as he cut into his fourth blueberry Eggo.

“Just eat,” Evelyn mumbled so only he could hear. She tapped his foot with her own. “Your stomach has been growling for an hour.”

She sounded exhausted.

“I am eating.”

“Eat _more._ ”

“Are you okay?” Peter asked, narrowing his eyes as she stirred her cereal.

“I’m fine. Just tired. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

Her spoon hits the surface of the cereal with a smack, and suddenly she looks un appetized. She pushes the bowl away, and Peter can’t help the concern that falls over his features.

“Nightmare?” Peter guessed, shoving a whole quarter of his waffle into his mouth.

“Bingo,” she replied, not even looking at him.

“Was it--”

“What are you two doing here?” Rhodey asks, walking into the common room. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“We don’t have a school to go too,” Peter says, cutting out another quarter of his Eggo.

“Don’t have a school?” Rhodey says to himself, perplexed. The man takes the half-empty box of toaster waffles from their place on the counter and pulls out two. He pops them in the toaster. “What do you mean--”

“Good morning,” Tony says with a smile.  

“Morning,” Evelyn says, putting on a fake smile.

Rhodey gives her a strange look at her complete change of attitude.

“What are you talking about?” Tony asks, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Rhodey’s waffles pop up and he grabs them while they're still hot, slathering on butter. “I was wondering why these two aren't in school. It’s a Friday.”

“And then I said that we don’t have school to go too,” Peter informs. His plate is now clear.

“There’s a lot of schools out here,” Tony says, takes a sip of his coffee. “Good ones.”

“But it’s May,” Evelyn says, and Peter sees her stifle a yawn before continuing. “School ends in, like, a month and a half. Is there even a point?”

“There is definitely a point,” Rhodey says, giving a pointed look at Tony. “School is important.”

“What if you homeschooled us?” Peter asks, excitement hinting his voice.

Tony snorts into his coffee. “I’m gonna have to veto that idea, Kiddo. That wouldn’t be enjoyable for any of us.”

“Guess that means you’re going to school,” Rhodey said with a smile. He takes a bite of his waffles.

“Awesome,” Peter says and leans forward. He grabs three more waffles and pops them into the toaster.

Evelyn looks uninterested and just a little nervous.

Tony must take notice because his tone softens, and he says, “It _will_ be awesome. Don’t worry guys. For you, jumping into school now will be a breeze.”

 

….

 

Before Peter knew it, Monday rolled around and he was waking up at 6:30 in the morning to go to school.

After the decision that Evelyn and Peter would be going, Tony found a school only ten minutes away from the compound. He was happy because Pepper also knew the head of admissions, so he was able to get the twins registered right away.

Peter was a little nervous at first because he thought that this was maybe some high end, fancy private school. But Pepper assured him that it was a very casual environment and that there would be many different classes that he would enjoy taking.

He was sitting on the end of his bed, pulling on a pair of socks when Evelyn shows up in his doorway.

“Hey,” she says, her eyes scanning around his room. “Have you seen my other sneaker?”

“Which one?” Peter asks, planting both of his feet on the floor.

“Umm, the pair that I was wearing yesterday. The light pink ones… kind of a suede-y material.”

Peter lets his eyes examine his sister. She is wearing a pair of overalls, paired with a tee-shirt covered in small flowers. She looks nice; the shoes she’s describing would match well.

“Check my closet,” Peter says, pulling on his second sock. As soon as it is rolled over his foot, he reaches for his shoes.

Evelyn walks to the closet quickly. She then starts sorting through all of his clothing, searching for the shoe.

“Found it!” She calls out and walks back into the bedroom, a sneaker in hand.

She sits down next to Peter on the bed and pulls it on, tying the laces with quick hands.

“Now, how did _your_ shoe ever end up in _my_ closet?” Peter asks with a grin.

“Maybe because I threw it at you yesterday when you wouldn’t stop jumping on the bed.” She answers without looking up.

“Who’s fault is that?”

“Definitely yours,” she says and pushes herself to her feet. “Are you ready? We’re going to be late.”

Peter was ready, so he grabs his red bag from the back of his chair and follows Evelyn out of the room and down the hall.

“Why are you in such a hurry to get out of here?” Peter asks, stopping as Evelyn ducks into her room to grab her yellow backpack. Once she has it, they are moving again. “I thought you didn’t even want to go to school in the first place.”

“I don’t really,” Evelyn says, pushing the button for the elevator. “But that Happy guy is driving us there, and I don’t feel like getting on his bad side. He doesn't seem like the type of person to think it’s funny when we hold him up.”

“He is kinda scary,” Peter says, stepping into the elevator, “but I still like him. He could come around.”

“He could,” Evelyn muses.

“But you doubt it.”

“I do.”

“He’ll come around -- uh, first-floor FRIDAY -- I know he will. He just has to get used to us, like we have to get used to having a robot butler.”

Evelyn nods, “Mm-hmm. That is freaky.”

“I can hear you,” FRIDAY says, making Peter jump slightly.

Evelyn just laughs.

 

….

 

Happy was waiting for them in his car out front.

Tony sits in the passenger seat, while the twins take their place in the back. Happy watches Peter buckle his seat belt before turning back around and taking off down the driveway.

It is silent for a few minutes, not even soft music to fill the space, and Peter lets his gaze fall to his feet.

“How has your time here been?” Happy asks, glancing at the teenagers sitting in his backseat.

“Great,” Peter says with a smile. Evelyn hums in agreement.

She’s turned towards the window, watching the trees outside pass by in a blur of green.

“That’s good,” Happy says.

His tone isn’t exactly joyful, almost a tiny bit cautious. He’s still trying to make up his mind on how he feels about the twins; their interactions have been limited.

“Do you know where we're going, Hap?” Tony asks, his hand reaching towards a screen on the dashboard.

“FRIDAY already put it in the GPS,” Happy responds. Tony’s hand instantly retreats.  

“Right.”

They are silent once more. Evelyn continues to stare; Peter watches them move down the road through the front windshield. Happy’s thumb taps on the steering wheel. It’s not exactly awkward, but it’s also not entirely comfortable.  

Peter wonders if this is what it’s like for Tony when he drives with Happy. _No, they probably have actual conversations._

A few minutes later, the high school comes into view and Peter can’t help it when his eyes widen. The school is gigantic. Gigantic and gorgeous.

Peter counted two buildings; both of them three stories tall and long. The structures were modern and constructed mostly of glass. Beautiful windows that acted as walls and were split into sections of colors that cast bright and lively shadows.

The gardens surrounding the school were full of large trees, lush with green leaves. Blooming bushes lined the walkways; flowers growing in wide beds.

In between the two school buildings was a big courtyard. There were benches, tables, and a _freaking fountain_ spewing bubbling water. The whole campus was covered in hundreds of students; all of them waiting for the school day to start. Peter couldn’t even imagine how many more were inside the buildings.

Outside of the first building was a sign that read _‘Bradley Heights Secondary School’_.

“Are you sure this isn’t a fancy private school?” Peter asks, turning his head to look at Tony sitting in the front seat.

“I never said that,” he responds.

“It seems pretty fancy,” Peter says.

“There’s like, a million people out there,” Evelyn says, her eyes glued to the students milling around.

A few of them have noticed them and their slick, black car that just seems to be sitting outside the main entrance. Peter watches a small group of teenagers whispering to each other and shooting a few glances in his direction. He wondered if any of them could recognize Tony Stark sitting in the front seat.    

“It’s not a lot of kids,” Tony says, trying to reassure.

“It sure seems like a lot.”

Tony unbuckles his seat belt, and Peter feels his heart start to race.

“You’re coming in?” Peter asks, leaning forward slightly.

Tony pauses. “Is that okay? I don’t have to if you don’t want me too.”

“No…” Peter trails. Did he want Tony coming in? He didn’t want all the attention that would follow, but he supposed he better get used to that. Besides, it would be a lot less nerve-wracking to walk into the office if Tony was with them. “It’s okay. You can come in.”

Tony smiles and lets his seat belt retract. “Pull the car into the parking lot, Hap. I’ll meet you there.”

“Alright,” Happy says, not sounding completely on board with that plan. Peter was sure that the bodyguard would have preferred to escort them inside.  

Tony pushes open his door -- but not before adjusting his purple-tinted sunglasses -- and Peter and Evelyn follow suit quickly. Peter adjusts his hold on his backpack and is greeted to the warm sun on his face.

The world around them almost seems to stop.

Students standing around all freeze, eating up the image of Tony Stark striding up the front walkway to the main doors. Their gazes follow the billionaire as he continues to ignore them, only turning back once to make sure his kids are behind him.

Peter desperately wished he could be as casual as Tony. The simple attitude of not giving a shit. The amount of nonchalant the man radiated was defensive; it made Peter scared to get too close to his foster-father, so the boy purposely walked a few feet behind him.

Evelyn fell into quiet step with her brother, and even though Evelyn wasn’t overly shy, the pressure of the other student’s eyes made her physically sink down.

It didn’t matter though; everyone was so busy watching Tony, that they didn’t notice two unfamiliar students slinking behind him.

“You good?” Tony asks Peter once the three of them were standing in the school’s office.

“Yep,” Peter says, trying to look more excited then he was.

Tony ruffles his hair slightly, running calloused fingers through Peter’s curls.

“Awesome.”

“How can I help you?” A woman behind the front desk asked.

She looked to be in her mid-forties with pale, blonde hair pulled back and rectangular glasses. She had a friendly smile painted in red.

“Singing in my children, Peter and Evelyn Parker,” Tony says, stepping towards the woman. “It’s their first day. I talked to the principal and had them registered.”

“Oh, of course.”

Peter felt his heart squeeze. Tony had just called them his children. _His children._ That fact made Peter’s eyes burn, but he would hate himself if he started crying in school. He blinked to keep small tears from blooming.

Beside him, Evelyn must have been thinking the same thing, as her shoulders had tensed and her eyes wide as she watches Tony talk to the receptionist.

Tony turns back to look at them, and Peter rips his gaze from his sister, forcing himself to look joyful. He was happy; internally, he was running around and screaming and jumping for joy. But his face must have looked shocked because Tony’s expression twists into concern.

“Pete, you okay?” He whispers.

Peter just nods. “I’m great.”

 

….

 

Peter was standing in the front foyer.

His schedule was in his hands, and Tony was gone. He left after they were all signed in with promises of being there to pick them up at 2:45.

“You’ll be fine,” he had said to them, “make friends. Have fun. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

Now Peter was studying his schedule. His homeroom was AP calculus, on the third floor of building one. That also meant his locker was on the third floor, _great._

He and Evelyn only had one class together: History. But her homeroom was math, and that was also on the third floor of building one, so he didn’t mind.

As they were making their way up, one thought continuously passed Peter’s mind: _This school is gigantic._

And yes, the campus did look huge from the outside, but you didn’t truly know how big it was until you were walking the hallways. It was one of the biggest building’s Peter had ever been in, and he almost got them lost more than once.  

Their lockers were relatively easy to find once they knew where they were going, and then it was the same with their classes. The bell rang as soon as Peter slipped into the door of his classroom.

Most of the desks were full, but one empty chair at the back of the room stood out, and Peter walked towards it briskly. He sat down and trained his eyes forward, trying not to stare too much at the other students.

The teacher wasn’t there yet, which the class took as an invitation to talk to each other loudly. Beside Peter, a chair was dragged backward, and a girl suddenly sat down with a _humph._

She had long, insanely curly brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and soft, brown tinted skin. Her face was set into a small scowl, and Peter tried to avert his eyes. There was just something instantly intimidating about her -- like Natasha.

“You’re new,” the girl suddenly says, and it takes Peter a moment to realize that she’s talking to him.

“Me?” He asks, dumbly.

“No, _me_ ,” she shoots back sarcastically, her face completely deadpan. “ _Yes, you._ ”

“Oh, yeah, I am.”

“Who moves to a school at the end of a semester?”

“Me, I guess. I’m new to the area.”

“Huh.”

Peter presses his lips together and nods, thinking he could just turn his attention away, but the girl continues to talk.

“Did your parents want you to go to school? You know, even though it’s May. Mine did.” She stares at her nails, and even though she doesn't seem like the type of person to want to talk, she seems adamant about holding up this conversation. “Like your mom… dad. Either of them works; I don’t know who controls your family.”

Peter doesn't know how to fully respond to that, but the girl is staring at him expectantly, so he spits out, “Uh, my Dad. Yeah… he told me I should go.”

_But Tony definitely doesn't control the family… if anything it’s Pepper._

“My Mom.”

“Huh?”

“She made me go… here, she made me go to school. I told her it would be easier for me to take online courses, but she said:  _“Oh, Michelle, you can’t get through life being anti-social.”_

She says the last part in a strange, high pitched voice, and rolls her eyes.

“So, your name is Michelle?” Peter asks.

Her eyes suddenly narrow and she leans forward, speaking in a cold tone. “No. My name is MJ. _Don’t_ call me Michelle. Only my mother calls me that. You’re not my mother, are you?”

“No,” Peter spits out. MJ smiles.

“Good. What’s your name?”

“Peter… Parker.”

MJ sticks out a hand, “Nice to meet you, Peter Parker.”

Peter shakes her hand just as the teacher walks in and the class quiets.

 

….

 

Peter’s next class is Geography, and when the bell rang, he sat at his desk and studied his schedule, trying to figure out where the class was located.

“Are you leaving?” MJ asks.

Peter looks up to see her standing next to his desk and staring down at him. Her dark eyes looked half-lidded.

“Do you know where this is?” Peter asks, pointing at the geography class on the schedule.

MJ leans over and stares at where his finger is pointing. “Oh, yeah,” she responds, laughter hidden between her words. “I have that class too. It’s on the first floor; I’ll take you.”

“Awesome,” Peter says and stands, following after MJ who was already walking briskly towards the door.  

As they walked, Peter realized that MJ was, in fact, taller than him. That only added to the intimidation he felt around the girl. He tried his best not to shrink down as they made their way through the hallways. MJ walked with her head high and shoulders square; an attitude saying: _I give zero fucks about anybody._

Or maybe that was just the vibe Peter got from it.

The class was pretty much empty when Peter and MJ walked in; only a few students scattered around the room and doing their own thing. But one boy -- with a huge smile and brown hair -- waved at MJ excitedly.

MJ rolled her eyes, yet Peter didn’t miss the small smile she gave.

Together, they walked towards where the boy was sitting, both of them taking seats next to him.

“Ned,” MJ greeted the boy.

“Hey MJ,” Ned said. Peter could see now that he had incredibly soft eyes and was wearing a shirt with Yoda on it.

He liked him already.

MJ gestured toward Peter. “Ned, this is Peter. Peter, Ned.”

“Hi,” Ned waves.

“Hi,” Peter says a little quieter then he would have liked.

MJ looks to Ned, “He’s new.”

“I gathered,” Ned says with a slightly smug expression.

MJ just scoffs.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Ned says, looking to Peter.

Peter smiles. “Same.”

Ned grins and Peter sits back in his seat feeling content.

 

….

 

The school cafeteria was a madhouse.  

“Is it always this crazy?” Peter asks Ned.

Ned chuckles, “No. It will settle in like… fifteen minutes. Come on, MJ grabbed us a table.”

Ned leads them towards a round table in the back of the room, and Peter was happy to find that back here, a lot of the craziness had seemed to have died down. MJ was already sitting with her feet propped up in a second chair, a book opened in her lap. Peter wondered if hurt her neck to be reading like that.

“You made yourself comfortable,” Ned says, taking a seat. Peter does the same.

“You losers took forever,” MJ retorts, not looking up from her page.

“It was busy.”

“Excuses, excuses…”

Peter looks down at lunch he just bought. Nothing too fancy, but it didn’t look horrible either. Mac and cheese, baby carrots, an apple, two cookies… plus, Evelyn had shoved like four granola bars in his backpack after breakfast that morning. 

He immediately started eating.

Ned took one of his cookies and broke it in two, then started to eat one of the halves. “Peter, where are you from?”

“The city,” Peter replies. “New York.”

“Why are you out here?”

“I moved… I guess the classic reason why people change schools. My… Dad took me out here.”

Peter still didn’t know how to address Tony. He didn’t want to mention who he was living with -- Ned and MJ obviously didn’t see Evelyn or him following Tony into the building earlier. But he still didn’t know if Dad was the right word… at least yet. It _was_ better than saying nothing.  

Suddenly, MJ was looking up from her book, but she wasn’t looking at Peter or Ned. She seemed to be staring right over their heads; her dark eyes squinted and focused.

“Who’s that?” She asked before either of the boys could question what she was staring at.

They both turned around simultaneously.

Evelyn was standing not far away. In her hands was a tray similar to literally everyone else's, and slung over one shoulder was her bright, yellow backpack. She was looking around the cafeteria with a puzzled expression; her eyes darting left and right as she most likely searches the room for Peter.

“That’s my sister,” Peter replies.

“Your sis--”

Evelyn suddenly notices Peter staring at her, and her confused expression vanishes. A smile of relief washes over her.

“Over here,” Peter calls, even though she can clearly see him.

“Hey,” Evelyn says and gingerly takes a seat next to her brother.

“Hey.”

“I’m Ned,” Ned pipes up, sticking his arm around Peter and holding his hand out for Evelyn to shake. She does so almost hesitantly.  

“Evelyn,” Evelyn says.

“So,” MJ starts, “she’s your sister?”

Peter grins shyly. “We’re twins.”

MJ just stares at them, “Yeah, I figured as much.”

“Um, what are you reading?” Evelyn asks, leaning forward to get a better look at MJ’s book.

One of MJ’s dark eyebrows raises, but she answers anyway, “ _To Kill A Mockingbird.”_

“A classic.”

MJ’s eyes widen slightly, “Uh, yeah. It is.”

“I’ve read it a few times. It’s pretty good… I think I like “ _The Great Gatsby_ ” better though.”

MJ practically snorts. “Well, that’s debatable. Do you only read classics?”

Evelyn pulls the cap off of her juice. “No, I read, well… I read pretty much anything. Classics, non-classics… Once I read a whole phone book because I got bored.”

MJ instantly smiles. She snaps her book closed and sits up properly, reaching a hand over the table and offering it to Evelyn. “I’m MJ. Evelyn, right?”

“Right,” Evelyn confirms, taking the girl's hand to shake.

“Well, _Evelyn_ , it's very nice to meet you.”

 

….

 

After lunch, Evelyn bid her goodbyes to Peter and headed off towards her next class -- drama, or something like that. Peter, unfortunately, didn’t have his next class with MJ or Ned, so after they pointed him in the right direction, he was on his way.

The AP chemistry class was already crowded when Peter pushed his way in, and there were hardly any empty spots left. He ended up nabbing a chair next to this cute girl with winged eyeliner and auburn hair. She gave him a friendly smile when he sat, but not much more than that.

The class was pretty uneventful, and the girl beside Peter made no attempt all small talk. The most interesting thing he learned in that class was the girl’s name was Lyn; everything else was pretty standard. He figured he would be able to get through the rest of the semester without a problem.   

Peter stood when the bell rang, and as soon as his feet touched the floor, his spidey-sense was screaming for his attention, and skin on his back crawled. Before he could find the source of trouble though, he was being pushed forward and into the lab table.

The countertop shoved into his ribs and pain spiked -- not enough to make him cry out or leave a bruise, but he knew it would leave a red mark behind.

Peter righted himself, then spun around to face a group of snickering boys. Peter just gave them a confused stare, and the one closest to him glared.

“What are you staring at _J Crew?_ ” He practically spat.

The boy had black, slicked back hair and was wearing a grey polo shirt and bright red sneakers. His eyes were narrowed, and Peter couldn’t help but want to shrink back. There was just something scary about him; intimidating, but not like MJ intimidating.

Peter wouldn’t doubt that this boy would happily beat someone up. MJ would never touch anyone; she didn’t have too, everyone was already so afraid of her.  

“Nothing,” Peter said a little dumbly.

“Uh huh, sure. What’s your name _pixie stick_?”

“P-- Peter,” Peter stammers out instinctually.

His mind was racing, _what is pixie stick even supposed to mean?_

“Well okay p-- p-- Peter,” the boy snickers, spit flying as he fake stutters. “Welcome to Bradley. Make sure to stay out of my way next time, got it dickwad?”

Peter nods shortly, the action once again instinctual.

“Flash,” the teacher says from the front of the room, “lay off of him, please.”

Flash rolls his eyes and scoffs, yet does what he’s told.

“See you later, _Penis_ ,” Flash says to Peter as him and his posse exits the room.

It’s not until after he’s really gone does Peter let himself shiver. One thing’s clear, and it’s that he absolutely does not like Flash.   

 

….

 

Tony is waiting for them in Happy’s car after the final bell has rung.

Evelyn is already walking towards the car by the time Peter exits the school building. He runs towards his sister, slowing his pace when he reaches her.

“Hey,” he says a little breathlessly, falling into pace with Evelyn’s footsteps.

“Hey,” she grins, “you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m great. You?”

“I’m good.”

Tony rolls down his window when the twins approach the car. He smiles and pulls down his purple-tinted sunglasses so they can see his eyes. “So, how was it?”

“Awesome,” Evelyn says, pulling open the back door.

“Fun!” Peter exclaims.

Evelyn climbs into the car, and Peter takes his seat beside her. He pulls the door shut with a click.

“I knew you would have a good time,” Tony says, elbowing Happy lightly. “Didn’t I say they would have a good time, Hap?”

“You did boss,” Happy responds, “right like always.”

Peter looks out his window and notices MJ and Ned standing not too far away. Ned notices him staring at them and smiles, giving a small wave. MJ looks over, and Peter swears he sees the corner of her mouth turn up.

“Pete?” Tony asked, his voice almost distant as Peter focuses on his new friends. “You with us, bud?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Peter absently mumbles, “you were right. Like always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how much I really like this chapter, but I couldn't find it in me to scrap it and write a whole new one, so this is what we are going with.  
> (Although I do like writing for MJ. She's fun.)
> 
> The next chapter will basically be this day but from Evelyn's perspective. She, of course, had different experiences, so I want to explore those. After that, we can move on to other things. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week.


	16. Sixteen: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now she was standing in front of a doorway to math classroom; her heartbeat audible in her ears.
> 
> So with a deep breath in, she pushes the door open and walks head first into the first day at a new school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It would help if you read the previous chapter before this one, but if you didn't, whatever. Hope you enjoy anyway!

School. Evelyn had to go to school. 

She didn’t even know why she was so anxious to be attending. She had been to high school before. Only a mere few weeks ago, she had been going to one in the city. But this would be different. 

This would be an upstate high school. A school filled with richer children, and better technology, and a far more expansive campus then anything Evelyn would be accustomed too. 

So the night before their first day, Evelyn laid in bed -- she had gotten comfortable in her own bed a couple of nights before -- and scrolled through the school website on her phone. 

 _Bradley Heights Secondary School_. 

God, even the name sounded pretentious. Evelyn just rolled her eyes and threw her phone onto her nightstand, shutting her eyes and trying to push all anxious thoughts away as she drifted into sleep. 

The next day, she was waking up at 6:30 in the morning by an alarm, and then running into the bathroom. She showered quickly but then spent almost twenty-five minutes standing her closet and trying to find something to wear. 

That part was much more challenging than she would have liked. 

She eventually pulled something together, but she couldn’t find her shoes. Of course, they were in Peter’s room, and she watched her brother happily bounce around as she looked for the pair of sneakers. 

Part of her wondered how he could be so damn excited, but then she reminded herself that he’s just Peter. _Peter Parker gets excited about everything -- even algebra tests._

Now she was standing in front of a doorway to math classroom; her heartbeat audible in her ears; her brother’s red backpack still visible as he walks down the hall and towards his first class. 

So with a deep breath in, she pushes the door open and walks head first into the first day at a new school. 

 

….

 

Math was boring. 

Not only did no one want to talk to her, but since she had entered the class so far into the semester, so much of the subject matter flew straight over her head.

She left the room with a sigh and headed towards building number two. There, she would find her French class on the second floor. The walk was long, but Evelyn really didn’t mind. 

The school was gorgeous. All wide architecture, and glass walls, and sprawling gardens. She had to dodge students left a right, but soon she fell into the flow of hallway traffic, and she was on her way without bumping into anyone. 

She noticed a few kids on their spare sitting in groups on the small sections of grass. One of the kids had a guitar and was playing a slightly off-tune version of “Wonderwall”. Evelyn just smiled and shook her head. 

She also passed by the library, which was on the first floor of the second building. She didn’t have time to stop no matter how badly she wanted too. From what she could see, the library looked gorgeous; shelves upon shelves of books. Lots of seating, a computer lab, and texts stretching so far back, the entire thing was practically a catacomb. 

She eventually made it to her French classroom and took a seat relatively quickly. She didn’t even notice the girl she was sitting beside at first. 

“That’s taken,” the girl sitting at the desk beside Evelyn said. She pointed at Evelyn’s chair. 

“Oh,” Evelyn replies, snapping from her stupor, and starts to collect her things to move. “I’m sorry, I’ll just--” 

“I’m kidding,” the girl says with a grin, “I just wanted to see if you were listening. You looked pretty out of it.” 

Evelyn just stared at her as she sat back down slowly. “Yeah, I guess so.” 

“I’m Jenson,” the girl says, leaning toward Evelyn, “ _Sadie_ Jenson.” 

“I’m Evelyn,” Evelyn says. 

Sadie raises an eyebrow. “Do you have a last name, Evelyn?” 

“Oh, right. Parker.” 

“You should give me your middle name too. I have a thing for full names. Never know when I’m going to need to get angry, and then full-name you.” 

Evelyn just stares, slightly puzzled, but supplies, “Evelyn Leeanne Parker.” 

Sadie grins. “Perfect. _Evelyn Leeanne._ Has a nice ring to it.” 

“I guess. Thanks.”  

Sadie spends the rest of the class in silence, listening intently to the teacher and taking notes. Evelyn assumes that the girl had given up on talking to her, so she just focuses on her own work. 

But when the class ends, Sadie walks right up to Evelyn and watches her pack her things; something about her expectant. 

“Do you have social media?” Sadies asks before Evelyn can even say anything. 

“No,” Evelyn shakes her head slightly. 

“A phone?” 

“Why?” 

Sadie sighs almost over dramatically. “If we are going to be friends, we need some way to talk to each other. Now, do you have a phone?” 

Evelyn pulls her phone out of her back pocket reflexively. “Here,” she says.  

Sadie takes it and inputs her number into the contacts list. 

“Perfect,” she says with a grin. 

Sadie had a big grin. It pushed into her cheeks and widened her hazel eyes. Evelyn found her interesting to look at, and she just watched as the girl fiddled with her cell phone. 

Sadie was shorter then Evelyn, but not short enough that she had to arch her neck down to look at her. Her hair was dark brown and cut off just above her shoulders. Everything about her was round, yet sharp at the same time. 

Something inside of Evelyn felt excited when looking at her, and all she wanted to do was have long conversations with the girl. Get to know the inside and out of her mind. She seemed smart. 

Evelyn takes her phone back. “Anyone ever tell you that you are really assertive?” 

“No. Maybe,” Sadie shrugs slightly. “Anyone ever tell you that it’s unnecessary to triple knot your shoes?” 

Evelyn looked down at her sneakers. “I don’t--” 

“Made you look.” 

Evelyn huffs out a laugh, but when she looks back up, Sadie is already walking towards the door. 

“See you later, Evelyn Leeanne!” She calls over her shoulder. 

“Bye.” 

Evelyn watches Sadie leave the room; half of her mind feeling giddy over the interaction, and the other half asking: _what the hell just happened?_

 

….

 

By the time lunch rolls around, Evelyn can’t help but feel more than a little lost. 

As she walks out of the lunch line, tray in hand, her eyes scanned the cafeteria searching for a familiar mop of brown curls.  

Someone suddenly jostled her to the left, and she has to steady her tray to keep her food from tumbling to the floor. 

“Watch it, new girl,” a male voice shoots in her direction, and Evelyn looks up. 

A boy with dark eyes, slicked, black hair, and a red polo shirt was leering in her direction. His look made shivers run down her spine, and she had to divert her eyes. He eventually moved on, and  Evelyn goes back to searching. 

Her gaze finds Sadie sitting at a table close by, surrounded by people who all seem to be laughing at something she said. Evelyn contemplates going and sitting with her, but the table looks pretty packed, and she dismissed the idea in favor of going back to looking for Peter. 

Her eyes go back to scanning the heads of students until she finally spots a table at the back that only houses three people. Peter is one of them. 

Suddenly, the girl sitting at Peter’s table looks up and catches Evelyn staring. The girl says something that she can’t hear, and Peter and another boy are both staring at her. 

Evelyn smiles. 

Peter waves and beckons her over. “Over here!” 

“Hey,” Evelyn greets when she sits down. 

Peter grins, “Hey.” 

 

….

 

After lunch, Evelyn’s next class is drama. She was honestly excited; Evelyn really enjoyed drama class. 

When she walked into the classroom, she immediately had to duck as a wad of tin foil sails over her head, almost hitting her in the eye. 

“Oops, sorry love,” someone with a British accent says, and Evelyn looks over to see half of the class staring at her. 

A boy with stylishly cut, dark hair is standing a few feet away; his arm cocked back and in his hand is a second ball of tinfoil. He smiles sheepishly. 

“It’s just that you’re in the targeted zone,” the boy says, still looking like he’s ready to throw the ball. 

Evelyn immediately sidesteps out of the way, and as soon as she had moved, he whips the tinfoil towards a target that had been pinned to the back of the board. He hits the ten point marker and pumps his fist triumphantly. 

“That’s ten,” a girl with light brown, curled hair states. She writes it down on the whiteboard. “Francis, now you have thirty-two.”  

“Evelyn Leeanne!” Someone shouts, and Evelyn spots Sadie sitting on top of one of the desks and waving. She’s sitting next to a tall boy. “Welcome to drama.” 

“What the hell is happening here?” Evelyn asks, speed walking towards Sadie, and avoiding tin foil as it tossed. 

“Tinfoil darts,” Sadie says. 

“I thought this was drama class.” 

“It is. Mrs. McAthie is usually late, though, so we have to find some way to fill our time.” 

Evelyn noticed that while Sadie talked, she seemed to be signing with sign language as she spoke. Sadie noticed Evelyn watching her hands, and she smiled. 

“Oh, yeah, Avi’s deaf,” Sadie says, continuing to sign. 

“Who is Avi?” 

The boy sitting beside Sadie waves meekly. 

“Oh, hi,” Evelyn says and waves back. 

“He can read lips,” Sadie says, “but this just makes it easier. I can sign for you too if you would like.” 

“Sure. It’s nice to meet you, Avi.” 

Avi half watches both Sadie and Evelyn, and he smiles when Evelyn stops speaking. He then signs something to Sadie, and the girl grins. 

“He says it’s nice to meet you, as well,” Sadie says and Evelyn smiles. 

“Hey, you’re new, correct?” The boy with the British accent says, stepping up beside Evelyn. 

“Yeah.” 

The boy stuck out his hand. “I’m Francis Daniels.”

Evelyn takes his hand and shook, “Evelyn Parker.” 

“I assume you’ve met people.” 

“Sorta.” 

Francis unclasps his hand from her’s and sticks it in his pocket. “Well, that’s Sadie and Avi,” Francis looks around the room, and his gaze lands on the girl who was marking points on the board. “And that’s Jane.” 

Jane hops up from her seat at the mention of her name and walks over to the group. “Hi.” 

Evelyn looks around at the little group. “Nice to meet you guys.” 

Sadie claps her on the shoulder. “Evelyn Parker, welcome to Bradley.” 

And Evelyn can’t help but grin. 

 

….

 

After school that day, Tony waits for them in Happy’s car. 

“So, how was it?” Tony asks when they pile into the back seat. 

“Awesome,” Evelyn responds, thinking about the day. 

“Fun!” Peter says. 

“I knew you would have a good time,” Tony says, almost smugly. “Didn’t I say they would have a good time?” 

“You did, Boss,” Happy answers, “right like always.” 

 

….

 

When Evelyn gets home, she goes straight to her room to put her bag away. 

She throws her bag onto her bed with a _clunk_ , and she turns towards the door to leave when her phone _dings_ in her back pocket. 

She pulls it out and stares at the screen. A new notification had popped up. 

_One message from an unknown number._

With a confused frown, Evelyn unlocks her phone and looks at the message. 

**_Hey._ **

Evelyn’s eyes narrow at the screen. _Who is this?_

**_Sadie._ **

**_Jenson._ **

**_From school._ **

Suddenly, Evelyn feels stupid. _Oh right. Hi._

**_Hello._ **

**_Nice to speak with you._ **

_You texted me, remember?_

**_Right. My bad._ **

**_…._ **

**_It’s still nice to talk to you._ **

Evelyn smiles. _It’s still nice to talk to you, too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is short and overdue; school just ended and exams have left me feeling burnt out. The next chapter will be much longer, and I am very excited about it. 
> 
> Sadie is entirely based off of my IRL best friend, so it was quite fun to write for her. Also, I have fallen head over heels in love with Avi, and I hope you don't mind that I added a deaf character.  
> If anyone who is reading this is deaf and wants to give me either advice on how to write for one, or feels the need to correct anything I've already written, I have no problem with that. 
> 
> I don't know if anyone is upset that I have been adding so many OC's, but I promise that that is the last of them for a while. 
> 
> (Also, happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians) 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while bookmarks and comments make my week.


	17. Seventeen: Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is quiet for a few seconds. “It-- it would just be… a bad idea.” 
> 
> Tony takes a seat on one of the armchairs close by Peter’s couch. “Bad idea, how?”

It was a Saturday morning when Tony received the email. 

He was sitting at the dining table in the common room. It was uncharacteristically quiet for eleven in the morning, but Tony was soaking in the silence without complaint. He scrolled through his emails, answering work mail; the pattern of the task was making him want to slam his head against the table. Peter sat on the couches not far away. Something was playing on the television, but Tony was too distracted to care what it was.   

Tony narrows his eyes at the new notification at the top of his inbox. At first, it looked like spam, and he was about to delete the email when something in the header caught his eye. 

**_Hendrick Mills Penitentiary._ **

_Why does that name sound so familiar?_

He clicks the message, and the letter that pops up fills his entire screen. His eyes run over the words quickly, not fully taking it all in, until they hit two keywords. 

**_Jen Hopper._ **

Tony takes a pause. He runs the name over in his head, trying to find its place among his expansive library of memories, and takes a long sip of his coffee. Suddenly, he remembers where he’s heard it before, and practically chokes on his drink. 

Jen Hopper is the name of Peter and Evelyn’s aunt who they lived with before she was arrested. 

Tony instantly starts reading the email with a frenzy. 

It’s the ending that causes him to have to slow down and reread the paragraph. 

**_“We remind you that the offer to visit Jen Hopper is still available. Due to the court order and current sentence Ms. Hopper is serving, all visitations will be under high security but are available to Ms. Evelyn Parker and Mr. Peter Parker. If interested, please respond using this email…”_ **

Tony looks up from his laptop screen to Peter who was eating cereal on the sofa, and watching the television with limited interest. To Tony, the boy looked a little bored; or maybe just half asleep. Either way, he wasn’t busy. 

“Hey, Pete,” Tony says as he approaches the couches, his laptop open in his arms. “You busy?” 

Peter shoves a spoon full of cornflakes into his mouth. “I’m watching this thing on Animal Planet, it’s about penguins. Have you ever seen a penguin tongue? It’s crazy. I mean, just--” 

“Yeah, yeah, crazy…” Tony cuts the boy off, his eyes back on the computer screen. “Um, I just received this email. It’s from… _Hendrick Mills Penitentiary_.” 

Those three words seem to put some life into Peter, and he sat bolt upright as if he’s been shocked. “ _Hendrick Mills_? Are-- are you sure?” 

Tony’s now staring at Peter. “Yeah. Definitely. It says it right here on the email. It’s about your aunt… Jen--” 

“Hopper,” Peter finishes, “yeah, I know.” 

“Okay, well, it says here that you and Evelyn can go and visit her -- under maximum security _of course_ \-- but you can still go and see her in person. You haven't seen her in a while, and--” 

“I don’t want to.” 

Tony blinks at the boy for a moment, before saying, “You _don’t want to?_ Any specific reason?” 

Peter is quiet for a few seconds. “It-- it would just be… a bad idea.” 

Tony takes a seat on one of the armchairs close by Peter’s couch. “Bad idea, how?” 

“Just a bad one.” 

“That’s not an answer.” 

“It’s plenty answer.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed only slightly. “Peter, can you stop being difficult? I don’t even know what your aunt did to get arrested, but she’s family, and if you have family left, you should go and see them--” 

“No.” 

_“Peter.”_

Peter places his cereal bowl down on the coffee table with a hard _clunk._ “I don’t want to see her. She’s a bad person, and…” 

“Bad _how?”_  

Peter is silent and stares at Tony with almost pleading eyes. 

But Tony presses on. “Peter, what did she do?” 

“I’ve already said too much,” Peter’s voice is soft. Almost non-existent. 

Something inside of Tony’s heart compresses and shatters. _God, these kids have such a hold on me._

Tony sighs. “Pete… please, just-- just tell me. As your foster dad, you can tell me stuff. I _need_ to know this stuff, for… for your safety.” 

Peter shakes his head. “I can’t.” 

Tony can feel his patience break. Not only did he really want to know; but he could tell that it was something really bad. Something that had affected in Peter in a negative way and Tony needed to know, for his kid’s safety. 

“Fine,” Tony practically snaps and stands from his chair. “I’ll just call the prison and they can tell me.”  

“What,” Peter starts, sounding panicked, “wait, Tony, no--” 

“Oh yeah, they gave me their phone number in the email. I’ll just…” Tony pulls out his phone and lets his finger hover over the screen, threatening to start dialing. 

He could see Peter mentally freaking out. 

“No, stop!” Peter makes to grab the phone from Tony’s hand, but the billionaire is fast and he spins out of the way. “Please-- don’t!” 

“Then tell me!” Tony says, pretending to dial once again. 

Something in the back of Tony’s mind tells him that this whole act is really childish, but he pushes that voice aside. 

“It’s not mine to tell!” Peter shouts, his eyes glassy with frustrated tears.

Tony pauses and stares at the boy. “What?” 

“Evelyn should.” 

“What does this have to do with Evelyn?” Tony’s heart picks up pace. 

Peter looks hesitant, and he bites his bottom lip. 

“Peter… Peter Parker, don’t test me. What does this have to do with Eve--” 

“She tried to murder her!” 

Tony can feel his eyes grow wide. “Who tried to murder who?” 

“Jen. Jen tried to murder Evelyn. That’s why she’s in jail.” 

Tony has to physically sit down. His phone falls to his lap as he collapses back into a nearby chair. He pushes his hands along the sides of his head, so his fingers thread through his hair and brown locks push out as he grips his scalp. The tugging motion hurts slightly, but there is so much running through his brain, that he can’t seem to concentrate on anything else. 

His fingers tug a little harder, and it seems to help him snap out of his shock. 

When Tony looks up, Peter is staring down at him with a nervous expression. The boy’s big, brown eyes are watery, and Tony gets the feeling that this a secret that had never been shared with anyone else before. 

When Tony speaks, his voice catches, “Your aunt tried to murder your sister?” 

Peter bites his bottom lip and nods his head. If Tony wasn’t in so much disbelief, he would have stood and wrapped the boy up in a hug. 

“Are you sure?” Tony asks a part of him, hoping that this was Peter’s twisted idea of a joke. “Are you positive that it was…” he swallows, _“murder?”_

Peter stares at his foster-father for a long moment, before sighing, and saying, “Yes. I’m sure.” 

Tony can feel his hands start to shake, panic setting into his bones. It was not too long ago that he himself found out that his parents were murdered by Bucky Barnes, instead of dying in a car crash he grew up picturing. It had torn Tony and Steve’s relationship apart, and Tony couldn’t even think about Bucky without wanting to punch a wall.   

Murder definitely had a bad history with Tony, so the idea that one of his kids came so close with it, absolutely didn’t bode well with him. 

Tony pushes himself up from his chair and starts to pace, trying to steady his hands. “How… why… why would she do that?” Tony turns to Peter, practically begging for an honest answer. 

“Um, well, uh…” Peter wrings his hands together, looking sheepish. “Aunt Jen was a scientist. She enjoyed finding strange things and performing experiments on them. She was the one who found the stone that gave Evelyn her powers. When Evelyn gained her abilities and proved to be a strange thing, Aunt Jen just did what she did best; she experimented on her.” 

Tony felt his heart pick up the pace. “What does that mean?” 

“She wanted to find out what Evelyn’s powers could do. Kinda… stretch them to their limit.” 

“That doesn't sound safe.” 

“It wasn’t. Aunt Jen wasn’t concerned about Evelyn’s safety; she just wanted to get to the bottom of her powers.” Tears were welling up in Peter’s eyes again, and he looked away quickly. “She wasn’t sane -- Aunt Jen, that is -- and I think she believed that she was doing what was best for Evelyn. That she was going to cure her, or something like that. But-- but… Evelyn almost died, Tony. She would have been dead if I didn’t make it there in time.” 

Tony watches the boy give a sniffle, and a few tears roll down his cheek. “...you?”  

Peter nods. “I managed to get her out in time. Aunt Jen was arrested shortly after that. Child endangerment and attempted murder… those kinds of charges.” 

“So the police know that Evelyn has powers?” 

Peter’s head whips around and he looks at Tony with wide eyes, a new kind of assertiveness behind them. “No! They just think that Jen was some psycho scientist who decided to experiment on her niece… which is as much truth as they need.” 

Tony could feel the tension leave his shoulders. “Oh, okay. Good.” 

Peter sits down across from him. “Yeah.” 

“I gather that you haven't told anyone about this before.” 

“You’re the first… other than Evelyn, of course.” 

Tony’s brow suddenly furrows, “Hmm, right.” He stands from his chair and starts towards the elevator. “Evelyn.” 

“Wha-- what are you doing?” Peter asks, rushing after him. Panic stitched into every word. 

“I’m going to talk to your sister.” 

“Uh, no. That’s a terrible idea. Even worse than the one where you wanted to call the prison.” 

“I need to talk to her. You are only one half of this story, and I think that her half is going to be much more informing than yours.” 

Tony steps into the elevator and watches Peter flounder for an answer. 

“Tony, Evelyn really doesn't like to talk about it, and--” 

But Tony has his finger on the close-doors button, and they slide shut before Peter has a chance to enter. Only a part of the man feels guilty, but he knows that Peter will be coming right up as soon as he could. He was most likely running up the emergency stairs as Tony stood there, waiting to reach the upper level. 

The doors open and Tony is striding down the hallway; his steps longer than normal. 

He tries not to look angry -- the last thing he wants is for Evelyn to think he's pissed at her -- but he’s just upset with everything else. How the situation played out; how he was going against Peter’s wishes; how his kids were so horribly treated; how he couldn’t have found them earlier, and just prevented this whole mess.  

Evelyn is in her room, just where Tony expected her to be. 

He stands in her doorway, trying not to draw too much attention. He still didn’t want to appear pissed off. One of his hands holds the door frame, and he leans, trying to look casual. 

Evelyn is lying on her bed, her head thrown over the side of her mattress, her nose buried in a magazine. 

Over the two and a bit weeks that the twins had lived here, Tony had been happy to see that they had started to make into their home. Evelyn’s bookshelves -- which at first had been empty -- now housed some of her novels. 

There were two or three picture frames set up on her dresser, along with a small jewelry box painted with tiny, ornate flowers. A short stack of spiral notebooks and sketchbooks have been sorted onto her desk. If Tony wasn’t so freaked out, he would have smiled. 

“Tony?” 

Tony looks over to see that Evelyn was now sitting on her bed, staring at him. The magazine she was reading has fallen into her lap. Her blue eyes were watching him, confused. 

“We need to talk,” Tony says, stepping into the room. 

He can see her shoulders tense up. “Okay.” 

Suddenly, the sound of quick footsteps reaches Tony’s ears, and Peter races into the room. He looks from his sister to Tony, then back to Evelyn again. His eyes are wide, and he runs a shaky hand through his hair, trying to regain composure. 

“Evelyn--” Peter starts, but Tony holds up a finger to shush him. 

“Nope, Pete, I’m talking to your sister,” Tony turns back to Evelyn. She is now starting to look panicked. “So, I learned something interesting today…” 

“I did too; did you know that penguins can--” Peter starts, trying to quickly change the subject. 

Tony turns and glares at him. The boy instantly shuts his mouth. 

“It’s about your aunt, Jen Hopper,” Tony watches fear pool into Evelyn’s eyes. Her irises growing dark with dread. “And how she earned her sentence in prison.” 

“Peter told you,” Evelyn’s voice was gravelly and thick. 

“I’m surprised that you didn’t.” 

“He wasn’t supposed too.” 

“But I’m glad he did.” 

Evelyn’s gaze falls on her hands, where she has been picking at the blanket underneath her. The underside of her right eye twitches ever so slightly. “It’s not really something I like to get into.” 

Tony signs, “Kiddo, I understand, I really do. But… if this is going to work out, we gotta be honest, okay? Especially when it comes to things like this. Things that could hurt us in the future.” 

He walks over and sits on the edge of the mattress. Evelyn sniffles and Tony doesn't miss the tears that roll down her cheeks. He reaches out to brush them away with his thumb, but her eyes stay downcast. 

“You want us to be honest?” She asks, her voice small. 

Tony nods. “If it’s something that could cause a problem, then absolutely.” 

Evelyn is quiet for a moment, before saying, “Peter got a building dropped on him.” 

And then that shocked silence was back. That feeling of panic and confusion building up in Tony’s mind as it had only twenty minutes ago when Peter had dropped the first verbal bomb on Tony. 

Behind him, Peter was practically shaking. 

“I’m sorry, a _building?”_ Tony says in disbelief. 

“It wasn’t that bad,” Peter tries to say, but his voice is choked. Tony instantly doesn't believe him. 

“Sure,” Tony stands, now feeling angry, “because that type of thing happens every day. Oh, just last week I had two buildings crush me, and then I went about my day-to-day business!” 

Peter flinches at the sarcasm in Tony’s voice. “I wasn’t crushed.” 

If it was possible, Tony would be steaming at the ears. He couldn’t take it, so he threw up his hands and made for the door. 

“I’m done with this,” he says before he leaves, “I’m leaving before you two can tell me that you have a third or fourth twin. We can talk later.” 

And with that, Tony storms down the hall, leaving the twins to stand in awkward silence; warm tears running down both of their faces. 

 

….

 

“I just… I just don't know what to take from this, Rhodey.” 

Tony laid sprawled out on a couch in his lab. The fake leather squeaked under the billionaire’s jeans, and Tony adjusted his position. It didn’t matter how he sat, there was still an annoying ache in his lower back. 

Rhodey stared at him from his seat in one of Tony’s stuffed, spinny desk chairs. 

Tony sighed, “Do I keep Peter away from buildings? Do I keep Evelyn away from scientists… or aunts? Because one of those two is more manageable than the other.” 

Rhodey stared at his best friend for a solid thirty seconds before speaking. “Tones, I don’t think you do any of that.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “Wow, what great help you are.” 

“No, Tony, I just… I think you do something completely different. I think -- and excuse my bluntness -- but I think you should just be their dad. Be what you signed up for. A parental figure. Someone they can go to for help. Obviously, both of their problems are huge, and have had a huge effect on their lives… so instead of you getting mad at them, you should talk to them about it, and hopefully, you can find a way through this.” 

Tony narrows his eyes, yet he’s smirking. “When did you get so smart?” 

“I’ve always been this smart; you’ve just been too caught up in your own ego to notice.” 

Tony chuckles. He pushes himself off the couch and pats Rhodey’s shoulder. “It should be you out there playing Dad. Not me.” 

Rhodey places his hand over Tony’s and shakes his head. “Nope. Tones, right now, there is no one better for these kids than you.” 

Tony can’t help but smile.

 

….

 

“Knock knock.” 

Evelyn raises her head from where it rested on her knees. She was curled up, tucked in between shirts hanging on a lower rack. Her eyes looked red and bloodshot. Guilt settled in Tony’s stomach.

“You don’t need to say knock if you are going to do it,” Evelyn says, her voice rough.  

“I guess you’re right,” Tony chuckles. 

Evelyn lowers her eyes and stares ahead blankly. Tony’s fingers drum against the closet door frame. 

“I didn’t expect you to be hiding in your closet,” Tony says, his voice seeming smaller then he would have liked. 

“Peter’s up there.” Evelyn points towards the ceiling and Tony’s gaze follows her finger. Peter is laying on his stomach on an empty shelf close to the ceiling. One of his arms is hanging over the edge, and he stares down at Tony. 

“Oh, hi,” Tony says, wondering exactly how comfortable it was to lay up there. 

Peter just blinks. 

“So, um… I want to talk to you guys,” Tony says, Evelyn finally looking up at him. “Properly.” 

Evelyn just nods as she pushes herself to her feet. With a small huff, Peter is leaping to the ground. Tony just steps aside to let them pass. 

 

….

 

They end up sitting in the common room. The space had been empty when they went in, and Tony hoped it stayed that way. 

Tony poured himself a cup of coffee from the Keurig in the kitchen, his back to his kids. When he turned back around, he notices that Peter and Evelyn are sitting on separate couches, instead of next to each other like normal. 

He didn’t know if they were mad at each other or not… he hoped it was the latter. He had never seen these two angry with each other and wasn’t looking forward to it any time soon. He didn’t think there were any two people who were closer. 

Peter was staring at his lap, his eyes glassy. Evelyn looks ahead, her gaze vacant, and fingers snapping at her side. 

Tony’s eyes narrowed at the subtle action. _Did she always have that tick?_

Tony clears his throat, walking over and taking a seat on an armchair. “Okay. Let’s talk.” 

Both Peter and Evelyn look to him, expectant and silently willing him on. 

“I’ve, um, I’ve thought about this, and… we can work through this.” Tony grips his mug tightly, but then untenses, and sighs. “I don’t know the full, or proper, stories for either of you, but it doesn't matter what happened, because you guys are my kids and we are going to get past this. Together. Okay?” 

Both of the teenagers are staring at Tony with watery eyes. Tony was feeling a little choked up himself. 

“I-- I know first hand what it’s like to deal with trauma. I know the effect it takes on your life, and the effect it has on you as a person. I don’t want you two to go through life as I did; I don’t want you to feel more damaged than you already do. I’m going to help you no matter what.” He stares down into coffee, still clutched in a two-handed grip. “No matter what.” 

Suddenly, the feeling of a warm hug is being wrapped around his shoulders, and Tony has to move his mug before he spills coffee all over Peter. 

He places the cup down on a side table, and once his hands are free, he pulls Peter down into a proper hug. He can hear Peter sniffle in his ear, and Tony doesn't hide it when a few tears run down his cheeks. 

Over Peter’s shoulder, he can see Evelyn lingering close by, nervously holding her arm and watching the interaction. It breaks Tony’s heart to see the tears slipping from her eyes. 

“Come here,” Tony whispers, waving her over. 

It takes her a second, but she finally steps forward and joins the hug. As soon as she buries her face in Tony’s shoulder, he can feel her start to shake and sob. He just holds both of the children tighter, something new and parental coming over him. 

“It’s okay,” he whispers, “it’s gonna be okay.” 

“Thank you,” Peter says, and Tony can feel his heart warm.

 _I’m going to keep you safe. I’m going to protect you. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you, even if it’s the last thing I do; I promise._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might actually start to clear some things up. 
> 
> Also, if you haven't, you should search up penguin tounges because that shit is crazy. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos makes my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week.


	18. Eighteen: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jen stops in her tracks, staring down her niece with a close to puzzled expression. “Do you not understand why we’re doing this?” She says, her brown eyes wide. They glow with a crazy that’s been stewing in their depths for years. “We haven't found a cure…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A flashback chapter to follow up on the events of the last chapter. 
> 
> *TW: Mentions of past torture (but it is brief)*

_Eight months prior:_

 

Evelyn hated how familiar the feeling of fear was starting to taste. How it coursed through her veins as easily as blood. How she breathed it in as effortlessly as the air around her. 

How the feeling of fear wasn’t as scary as it was only twenty-four hours ago. 

The girl watched from her chair as her aunt paced the lab. The straps on her wrists and ankles had moved past the point of chafing and rubbed tirelessly at her skin; causing the area to become red and irritated.

Every one of Evelyn’s movements felt slow and lethargic. She had been awake for going on ten hours, but it was Jen’s actions that seemed to tear at any remaining energy the girl had left. 

Evelyn longed so much for the comforting warmth of her bed, even if it was nothing more than a deflating air mattress. Her mind nagged for the comfort of her brother. Where he was, she didn’t know. She just needed to see him; even just to hear his voice, it would help her forget everything current and happening around her. 

“Ah ah ah,” Jen says, touching the bottom of Evelyn’s chin. “No sleeping for the baby.” 

The woman pushes Evelyn’s head up, and the girl blinked blearily. She hadn’t even realized that she was nodding off, or that her chin had fallen to rest on her chest.    

The sudden ache on the back of her neck reminds her, and she can hardly hold back a wince. 

“Why can’t I?” Evelyn asks, her tone biting. The new surge of courage shocks her. “Why can’t you give me something as small as sleep?” 

Jen stops in her tracks, staring down her niece with a close to puzzled expression. “Do you not understand why we’re doing this?” She says, her brown eyes wide. They glow with a crazy that’s been stewing in their depths for years. “We haven't found a cure…” 

Jen spins on heel and walks towards a close-by workbench. There are hundreds of different papers scattered across its surface, as well as a few hundred more tacked up behind on the wall. She pushes some pages aside and studies something unseen. 

“So no,” the scientist says, “you can not sleep.” 

Evelyn stares at the back of her aunt’s head. A part of the girl simply doesn't understand how she could be related to someone as… outlandish as Jennifer Hopper. 

Physically, everything about the woman was long. Long nose; long legs; long arms with long hands, adorned with long fingers. Long, blonde hair that was streaked with grey from stress, and always pulled back tight. Long lips that were cracked, and would stretch into a hellish smile when she formed ideas. 

But mentally, everything about Jen was short. Short willed; short patience; short-tempered… even her love ran short. Evelyn knew that Jen’s love for her niece and nephew dried up long _long_ ago.

She now understood the reason why Leah cut ties with her sister in the first place.

“You don’t need to cure me,” Evelyn says, what was once courage in her voice, now again replaced by fear. “I’m not sick.”

Jen looked back at her niece. “I thought you were smarter than that, child. You and I both know that you are crawling with disease. We have to fix it… for your own benefit, of course.”  

The woman’s tone of voice sent shivers down Evelyn’s spine, and she gulped. 

Jen leaned forward, her thin fingers dancing over a spot above Evelyn’s eyebrow. There was a welt there from one of Jen’s experiments a few hours ago, and it had refused to close up. Jen had also decided not to patch it, so it had bled freely. 

Warm blood had trailed down the side of Evelyn’s face and had crusted, so it stayed dry and sticky to the surface of the girl’s skin. 

“I’m not sick,” Evelyn protested once more, her voice feeble. “You-- you don’t have to help me. I’m fine.” 

Jen pulled her hand away from the teenager’s face but didn’t move her body away. When she exhaled, the smell filled Evelyn’s nose and invaded every part of her body. The stale breath choking her and causing a short cough to catch in her throat. 

“You’re not in your right mind,” Jen says, eyes darting from place to place on her niece's face. “You don’t understand what I am doing for you. I am the only one who can make this right.” 

Jen steps back, examining the girl in better focus. “It’s what Leah would have wanted.”

Suddenly, hate and fury flooded Evelyn in waves of emotion too strong to properly control. Her eyes narrowed, and her hands clenched into fists, the wrist bonds restricting. 

“You know nothing of what my Mom would have wanted! She wouldn’t have allowed you to do this! To keep your niece against her own free will. To-- to-- _torture_ me and just think that this is okay!” 

Jen’s eyes widen as she stares down at Evelyn. “Well, don’t you think that you’re entitled.” 

Evelyn grits her teeth, ignoring the glare her aunt is sending her. “You’re trying to kill me.” 

Jen huffs, “Kill is not the right word--” 

“It is!” 

“I’m fixing you! You just have to get that through your thick skull, and--” 

“This is not fixing, this is attempted murder! You are trying to murder me for your own gain!” 

“I have a good reason!” Jen spits, taking a step towards Evelyn. 

Evelyn can’t help the involuntary flinch that ricochets through her body, but her scowl stays in place. 

“You’re my aunt,” Evelyn retorts, “you’re not _supposed_ to have a good reason.” 

Jen is silent for a long time, before she says, “You expect too much. I’m not May.” 

That comment causes Evelyn’s eyes to burn, and she blinked back tears. “Of course. You couldn’t be. Because no one could ever love you as much as we loved her. She’s untouchable.” 

Anger and pain burned behind Jen’s eyes, and a hatred flared that Evelyn hadn’t recognized before. The woman lunged toward Evelyn and placed her hands over the girl’s, pressing down so her nails bit into Evelyn’s skin. 

Jen’s face leaned forward once more, so her nose was almost touching her niece’s. She had Evelyn caged in. 

“You are just an ungrateful, little shit, you understand? You don’t understand what I am trying to rid you of, here-- although this may be hard for you to comprehend, I am trying to cleanse you. I am going to fix you if it is the last thing I do.” 

Evelyn stared at the woman with wide eyes, but when she opened her mouth to speak, a new voice did before she had a chance. 

“Get the fuck away from her.” 

Both the teenager and woman’s heads turned to see an angry Peter standing in the doorway. He was seething, his teeth grit, and fist clenched around a heavy-looking wrench. Evelyn also recognized his web-shooters strapped around his wrists, but Jen wouldn’t have the mind to notice them. 

“What did you just say?” Jen asked, quietly. 

Peter’s eyes narrowed, “I said, _get the fuck away from her!”_

He ran in their direction, charging their aunt and forcing her back away from Evelyn’s chair. Once his sister was out of the way, Peter swung his wrench at Jen. She dodged it quick, ducking down as he swung high. 

She popped back up once it was clear, and stepped away from him, quickly. Peter screamed in anger and swung once more, but missed again. Evelyn noticed something strange in her brother's movements. He was moving a little slow; like he was intending on missing. 

“You have terrible aim,” Jen says, eyeing her nephew. Peter let out something that sounded low and animalistic, like a growl. 

He suddenly let out a loud grunt, as he whipped the wrench at her. It spins through the air but passed her head by an inch. It landed with a loud _crash_ a few feet behind them. 

Jen stares over her shoulder at where the tool landed, and she starts to laugh. A sound that was low and filled with insanity. 

But Evelyn watches at Peter raises his hand, and shoots a string of web over his aunt’s shoulder, successfully attaching it to a tall metal shelf behind them. 

She doesn't seem to notice the web, but she does notice when Peter tugs and the whole shelf comes sailing towards her. It’s too late though, and the metal structure crashes into the woman, sending her tumbling to the ground and pinning her to the concrete floor. 

They give it a second, but Jen doesn't move. From where Evelyn’s sitting, the woman seems to be unconscious, and the girl lets out a long-held in breath. 

“Are you okay?” Peter asks, worry in his voice as he rushes to his sister’s side. 

“I’m okay,” she says, trying to make it sound believable. 

Peter shakes his head. “No, you’re not; I know you.” 

He takes a small pocket knife from a nearby workbench and starts to cut at the duct tape bonds that are keeping his sister in place. As soon as she is free, she rubs at the red marks around her wrists and winces. 

Sympathy is written all over Peter’s face as he watches her closely.  

“Come on,” he says softly, “we’re getting the hell out of here.” 

As soon as Peter has webbed Jen to the wall and has left a note for the police (he called them before making his rescue), he and Evelyn flee the lab quickly. They only stop for breath once Peter has swung them a good five miles from their aunt and the distant sirens. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter says, sitting down next to his sister. They have landed on the rooftop of a small apartment building. “I should have been there sooner.” 

“Please don’t be,” Evelyn says softly. “I would still be in there if you hadn’t shown.” 

“But you would have been out hours ago if I had only found you quicker.” 

“Yet you did find me… that’s what matters.” 

Peter sniffs, and Evelyn notices the few tears running down his face. She smiles, and he gives a wet laugh, wiping at his cheeks. 

“I really shouldn’t be the one crying.” 

“It’s okay. You know I don’t mind.” 

Peter just hums, turning his attention to the skyline in front of them. New York City in the distance. Twinkling lights and the dim, city outline. There is a quiet that settles between them, and for a while, Evelyn appreciates it. 

That is until she breaks it. “You know that this means that we’re going into the system.” 

Peter sighs. “I know. We got no one left.” 

“No one but each other.” 

Peter looks at Evelyn, smiling. He holds out his hand, and she takes it, squeezing lightly. 

“I love you, Ev,” he says. 

Evelyn grins. “I know. I love you, too, Petey.” 

Peter stares at their joined hands. “Wondertwins?” 

Evelyn nods. “Wondertwins.”    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, this should give some more clarity.
> 
> I'm excited about the next chapter. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week.


	19. Ninteen: Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter moves farther into the lab until he is standing across from Tony. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m sor--” 
> 
> “I know,” Tony cuts the boy off. “I heard you. You’re sorry.” 
> 
> Peter nods. “Can… can I sit?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...sorry

“I’m sorry.” 

Tony looks up from his workbench with squinted eyes, and when his vision focuses on Peter, he quickly swipes away something on his holographic monitor in a panic. 

Peter just tries to brush off his curiosity and clears his throat. “I’m sorry,” he says again. 

Tony rubs his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Kid, what are you doing up? It’s late.” 

Peter moves farther into the lab until he is standing across from Tony. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m sor--” 

“I know,” Tony cuts the boy off. “I heard you. You’re sorry.” 

Peter nods. “Can… can I sit?” 

Tony gestures at a chair sitting close by, “Sure, but only if you will tell me what you’re so damn sorry about.” 

Peter grabs the back of the chair and drags it over so he is sitting beside his foster father. Tony turns towards the boy, and they sit so close their knees are almost touching. Peter is now painstakingly aware of the fact that he is sitting across from the man in his pajamas. 

“About earlier today…” Peter starts, and recognition falls over Tony’s features. “I’m just sorry about, well, everything. You shouldn’t have found out that way. I--  _ we  _ should have been the ones to tell you, properly.” 

Peter can see Tony’s expression soften and he reaches a handout, placing it on Peter’s knee fondly. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Tony says, “The way I found out was…” 

“Messed up,” Peter finishes for him. 

Tony chuckles. “Definitely. Messed up.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t have to be, that was hard for you guys to relive. I… I get it.” 

Peter nods solemnly, but then his mind wanders, and he finds himself thinking about his experience with the Vulture several months ago. One of those unwelcome, intrusive thoughts that sent small shivers down his spine.   

Tony must have noticed the boy’s change in posture and expression, and his eyes are flooded with concern. 

“Hey, Pete,” Tony places a finger on the underside of the boy’s chin and raises his head so their eyes meet. “You okay?” 

Peter closes his eyes for a moment, before opening them and pasting on a smile. He never did get around to telling Tony the full story behind the Vulture, and the plane crash on the beach, and the building falling, and getting pinned under rubble, and calling out for help that never came… for the police, for a passer-by, for his sister.  _ For anyone. _

Peter shakes his head as if to rid it of the thoughts, and he stares at Tony who still looks concerned.  

“Yes, I’m fine.” 

Tony’s eyebrows furrow. His forehead creases. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes. Absolutely.” 

Tony moves his hand from Peter’s knee to the boy’s shoulder. He squeezes lightly, before speaking. “Peter, is there something else you want to apologize for?” 

Peter’s eyes burn. He can feel tears welling up, and creeping into view before he can blink them back. Tony doesn't look offended; if anything, he seems sympathetic. 

“The… the day that building fe-- fell on me,” Peter starts, his voice catching in his chest. “I just… I thought I was going to die there. All alone. Under all that rubble.” 

Tears fall from Peter’s eyes, and he wipes them with the back of his hand. Tony lets him continue. 

“I couldn’t stop thinking about everyone else I had lost. Mom, Dad, Ben, May… all-- all of them. They all died in company. Each one of them all had someone with them when they had… left. But not me. I was going to be all alone. That is what terrified me most about it. No one would even be there to know that I had died.” 

Tony stares at Peter with eyes full of fear, but Peter isn’t done. 

“And then I started thinking that if no one knew that I was dead, that Evelyn wouldn’t know. She would just think I was missing, or something, and then she would just,  _ wait.  _ She would wait and wait and wait, and I would never come home. Then she would have to find out that I died by like some random police officer or something, and I couldn’t handle that thought. That was my biggest fear --  _ is my biggest fear.”  _

“Pete…” Tony whispers, brushing his thumb over the child’s cheek. Peter leans into the man’s palm, enjoying the warmth. “I’m sorry.” 

Peter laughs softly. “Look who’s apologizing now.” 

Tony gives a small smile. “No one deserves to go through what you two have been through.” 

“Yet we do.” 

_ I’ve gotten used to it, _ Peter thinks, but he would never say it out loud. 

“I wish I could take some of it away,” Tony says. 

“You’re helping in more ways than you know,” Peter mumbles, but he can tell that Tony hears him clear as day. 

Tony’s eyes are brown and dark like bitter chocolate, but Peter can find nothing bitter in them now. Instead, they are filled with love. A spark of affection that the boy hadn’t seen since Ben or even Richard. 

A feeling of pride that a person could only hold for their children. A joy a father could only feel towards his son. 

Suddenly, Peter was being pulled into Tony’s arms, and he doesn't resist the hug for a second. Peter wraps his arms around Tony’s chest and buries his face into the crook between the man’s shoulder and neck. 

He can feel one of Tony’s hand's card it’s way into the base of his hairline, and his fingers drag comfortingly along his scalp. His other arm pulls them together closely; the sound of Tony’s heartbeat filling Peter’s ears. 

Strong and steady. 

“Thank you,” Tony whispers, sounding slightly choked up. “Thank you so much.” 

 

….

 

“Why are we here again?” Evelyn asks. 

It’s the next day, and the twins are standing in Tony’s lab. Both of them are donning their pajamas and equally rumpled bedhead. It was only eight in the morning, and they were in the middle of an episode of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” when FRIDAY had asked them to make their way down to the lab. 

Peter was feeling tired. He didn’t get to sleep until about two in the morning, and that wasn’t long after Tony and his conversation. He could still see the chair he sat in the previous night sitting exactly where he left it. 

“Boss requested that you join him,” FRIDAY responds, but that comment only increases the teenager’s confusion. Tony was nowhere to be seen. 

“But where is--” Evelyn starts, but cuts herself off when Tony comes sweeping into the room. 

“Good, you’re here.” He says. In both of his hands are two large, paper bags. He takes in the twin’s appearances and snorts. “I see I caught you at a good time.” 

Peter runs a hand through his curls self consciously.

“Okay, anyway,” Tony steps a little closer. “These are for you.” 

He hands each of them a paper bag, and they give him confused looks. Tony just smiles giddily. 

“Just open them!” Tony says before either of them could interject. 

The siblings flash each other a look before they both open their bags, and each takes a collective gasp of surprise. 

Inside Peter’s bag is a red and blue suit, detailed in black accents and faint, black spider webbing. He takes it with one hand and pulls it from the bag, eyes wide in shock. The suit was incredibly soft to the touch and felt wonderfully durable. On the chest was a black spider design. The whole thing was sleek and fashionable, and sharp. 

Peter understood that it was for him, but something about him felt incredible inadequate holding it. It must have been a multi-million dollar outfit.  

Under the suit were two new web-shooters. Peter almost dropped the bag in his rush to get to the pieces of technology.   

“Holy shit,” he whispers as he stares down at his present. 

Beside him, Evelyn was holding her gift with an expression of astonishment. Her’s was a suit as well, but the colors were much different; greens and dark cyan’s. She also had the same black accenting, and on the waistline was a built-in utility belt, with a pocket that seemed to be full of something. 

She opened up the flap and pulled out a metal box of matches and small containers which seemed to be holding different types of seeds. 

“You made us suits?” She asks, putting her gift back in its bag. 

“Of course,” Tony says like it’s obvious. “We can’t have you two wearing those onesies anymore. They might have been cute before, but they will never fly with the big guys.” 

“Onesies?” Evelyn asks, sounding offended. 

“Big guys?” Peter asks. 

“Yeah, the big guys-- the Avengers.” Tony answers. “If Sam and Clint saw what you two were sporting before, you would have never heard the end of it. And also, these things have colour. What you were wearing before was so monotone and dull; these are sharp!” 

“They’re not that discrete,” Evelyn says, sounding slightly worried. 

Tony scoffs and dismisses her remark with a wave. “If you’re going to be playing hero, why not have some fun with it?” 

“Of course,” Evelyn starts, sounding sarcastic, “I shouldn't have expected Tony Stark to do anything discrete ever.” 

“Hey! Where’s the attitude coming from!” 

“Ignore her,” Peter says with a smile, “she’s cranky. What we mean is, thank you.” 

Tony beams. “You are of course welcome.” 

“I can’t wait to try it out!” 

Tony sticks a hand in his front pocket. “Well, you shouldn’t have to wait very long,” the twins give him a puzzled look, “I was thinking, how about tonight? Patrol. Just the two of you.” 

A huge grin stretches over Peter’s lips, and he looks to his sister with excitement. Her expression is mirroring his. 

_ Patrol. For the first time in months. Just the two of us once again.  _

He couldn’t think of a better idea. 

 

….

 

“Woah kid, slow down,” Sam says that night at dinner. 

Peter immediately stops shoveling pasta into his mouth and looks up to find most of the table now staring at him as he inhales his food. His neck flashes red in embarrassment, and Tony chuckles from his place between Evelyn and Pepper. 

“He’s just excited,” Tony says as if that explains everything. 

“We get it,” Steve says with a smile, “a big night for you.” 

“We saw the suits,” Clint comments with a grin, and a hint of poorly hidden jealousy.  

“Wow, I guess news really does travel fast around here,” Tony says and spins his noodles on his fork. 

“Oh don’t act surprised, Tones,” Rhodey adds, “You for one should be a front runner in knowing that news travels fast around here.” 

Tony looks at his friend with an overdramatized offense. “What does that mean?” 

“It means that you’re a gossip,” Sam says dully. “Can’t keep your mouth shut.” 

“That’s absolutely not--  _ okay, maybe. _ ” 

Everyone else just laughs. 

By the time dinner was wrapping up, and Peter and Evelyn had been excused, it was nearing 7:30. Peter was itching to pull the new suit on, and he stands in the elevator impatiently; foot tapping as he watches the floor count rise. 

The twins are already ripping down the hall and into their rooms before the elevator doors can even properly open. 

It takes Peter exactly four minutes to tear his clothes off and pull the suit on. It takes him a moment to remember how to make it go from baggy to skin-tight, but once he figures it out, he’s grinning from ear to ear. 

“Wicked,” he whispers to himself as he catches a flash of his reflection in the bathroom mirror.  

He grabs his web-shooters from their place on his desk and snaps them onto his wrists as he walks towards his sister’s room. He knocks twice before she shouts an affirmative, and he opens the door. 

Evelyn is standing in the middle of her room, fully suited and looking down at her mask which she has clutched in her hands. 

“You ready?” Peter asks, one hand still holding the doorknob. 

Instead of the answer, Peter was hoping for, Evelyn looks up at him nervously. 

“I look okay?” She asks. 

Peter steps into the room, his fingers holding his mask squeeze so his grip tightens. 

“Totally!” He says, as supportive as he can sound. “You look awesome!  _ We  _ look awesome-- super professional! Looks like we could go out and stop a robbery at a super fancy bank, instead of the alley mugging’s we normally pick up.”  

Evelyn laughs softly, and Peter is relieved to see her smile.  

“Okay,” she says, walking towards him, “but maybe we should stick close to alley muggings for a little bit. Just until we're comfortable back on our feet and in our new outfits.” 

Peter nods, “Sounds good. Anything if it gets to mean that we can be heroes once again.” 

 

….

 

Happy drives them out. 

“When was the last time you did this?” Happy asks, eyeing Peter in the rearview mirror. 

“Can’t remember,” he says, bouncing excitedly in his seat. He is acutely aware of his sister watching him cautiously. “It’s been a while, though.” 

“So what,” Happy starts, his eyes turning back to the road. “You two just go out and play Superman? Run around and stop, I don’t know, grand theft bicycles?” 

The man chuckles at his own joke, and Peter can hear Evelyn mutter something under her breath.   

“No,” Peter says, but it doesn't sound entirely believable. 

His mind reminds him of the time that he did in fact stop a guy from stealing a bike, but then it just turned out that the bike belonged to the guy and he had lost the keys to his lock. Evelyn had just laughed as Peter had to cut the man loose from the webs he was tied up in. 

“Thank god you’re wearing a seatbelt,” Evelyn says suddenly, “if not, I would be afraid you would bounce right out of the car.” 

“I’m excited.” 

“I know. I am too.” 

Peter believed her, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but notice her open the pocket on her suit for the fifth time and re-check that everything was still in place. Her fingers shook ever so slightly as she closed the flap. She was nervous. 

He understood, but he also didn’t want to draw Happy’s attention to it, (Happy would most certainly tell Tony, and then Tony would probably tell Evelyn to come home, and Peter didn't want to patrol alone. It wasn’t as fun), so he would have to comfort her in silence. 

Peter reached out a hand and place it on her knee. Her eyes immediately darted down to his touch, and once he knew she was paying attention, he moved his hand to hers. 

He smiled, and he was happy when she returned it. 

Finally, the sights of the city came into view as the trees started to fade away, and before Peter knew it, the car was pulling to stop. 

“Are you sure you want me to drop you off here?” Happy asks, taking a look at the buildings and storefronts around them. 

He hadn’t taken them far into the city, and even Peter had to admit that the location seemed a little seedy, and the security head sounded unsure. 

“Yep, it’s good,” Peter says, making to undo his seatbelt. “We can’t risk anyone seeing us getting out of the car.” 

“We can make it farther into the city on our own,” Evelyn finishes for her brother. 

“Okay…” Happy says, still sounding unsteady. “Wait,” he says quickly before either of the twins could get out of the car. “You know who to contact if anything comes up, right? Tony or I. No matter what-- it doesn't even have to be a major emergency.” 

Both of the teenager's nod. 

Happy presses his lips together for a second, before nodding himself, and making a gesture as if to shoo them from the car. Peter just chuckles and swings his door open, practically leaping onto the pavement, and then running towards the sidewalk where Evelyn was waiting. 

Luckily, there was no one around to see them exiting the vehicle, but that didn’t calm Peter’s nerves or excitement in the slightest. 

It took him a moment, but Happy finally started the car and drove back in the direction of the compound. As soon as he was at least a block away, Peter could feel the air around Evelyn start to stir, as she created a cool wind. 

In a matter of seconds, she was off the ground and flying towards the rooftop of the closest building. 

“Hey!” Peter shouts after her with a giggle, “Wait up!” 

He chases after the slightly green blur as she races through the darkening sky. Once close enough, he jumps and latches onto the wall of the building, his fingers and toes immediately sticking to the brick. 

Peter smiles under his mask. He had forgotten how good this felt; how freeing it was. The exhilaration pumping through his veins for the first time in months. 

By the time he reaches the top, he finds Evelyn hovering just inches above the concrete roof of the seemingly abandoned apartment building. She had her mask on, so Peter couldn’t read her expression, but she was staring in his direction. 

“Cheater,” he laughed. 

“Maybe you are getting rusty,” she says with amusement. “I thought you have been training.” 

“I have, but I’m not a mind reader, and I do not possess the ability of flight. Don’t use your powers against me, that’s like, Parker Twin Rule number three.” 

Evelyn just laughs. “Okay, sure. The rules. Sorry.” 

“Okay, enough waiting around. I’m here now. Can we go?” 

Peter can tell Evelyn is smiling just by the tone of her voice. “Definitely.” 

So together they take off, Evelyn flying close by as Peter jumps from roof to roof. As soon as they are close enough to the heart of the city and the buildings are taller, Peter starts to use his webs, swinging through the busy streets, above cars and pedestrians on the sidewalks, and against the now dark sky. 

Peter couldn’t remember the last time he felt so alive.  

 

….

 

A few hours later, Peter and Evelyn were camped out on the rooftop of an apartment building in Brooklyn, and Peter was upset. 

Their first patrol back after months, and it had been primarily uneventful. The most exciting thing they got to do was stop this man from stealing some drifter’s backpack, and by the time Peter had even got his hands on the thief, the police were showing up, and Evelyn had yelled at her brother that they had to leave. 

That was an hour ago. 

Now, Evelyn was sitting on the lip of the roof staring down at the cars below. She had taken off her mask a bit ago, and the warm glow of the lights below shone up and illuminated her features. 

Peter watched her blue eyes scan the city below, looking for any signs of trouble. When Peter sighed, she looked over at him. 

“I guess crime decided to take a break tonight,” she says almost apologetically. 

“Yeah, I guess.” 

“At least we got that bag back for that hobo.”

Peter snorts. “He told the police he was a drifter.” 

Evelyn shrugs. “I wasn’t really listening to that part.” 

They fall back into their previous silence; the only sounds cutting in was the honking of cars and the shouts of late-night pedestrians. 

“We should bring a backpack, or something, next time,” Evelyn says, her voice soft and almost swept away by the city sounds. If Peter didn’t have his enhanced hearing, he would have missed it. “Maybe like a deck of cards. It’s kinda boring just waiting.” 

“Or mad-libs.” 

“Sure.” 

“Or sudoku.” 

Evelyn shakes her head, yet she laughs. “That’s a math game.” 

“No, it’s not.” 

“Yeah, it’s got numbers. The whole thing is just numbers.” 

“Doesn't make it a math game. Some day, we are going to sit down, and I am going to teach you how to play.” 

“Can’t wait,” the way her voice sorta trails at the end of her sentence tells Peter that the conversation was over. 

The quiet is back. 

After almost ten minutes of just sitting, Peter speaks, “What time is curfew?” 

“Midnight.” 

“What time is it?” 

Evelyn doesn't look at him, “You have the watch.” 

Peter feels stupid for a second before he looks down to his wrist. 11:37 p.m. 

So much time, yet so little. Peter sighed again. 

It’s another five minutes of quiet before he hears it. A scream, and it doesn't seem too far. He waits at first, not knowing if maybe it was someone out and having fun, instead of being in distress. But when he hears the sound a second time -- this time filled with fear and much more urgent -- he jumped to his feet and takes off in the direction, never stopping to inform his sister first. 

“Peter, wha--” he can hear her start, but then he’s swinging to fast to catch the rest. 

He never doubts that she’s behind him, though, and he just keeps going. 

His thoughts are racing, his heart pounding in excitement.  _ Maybe this night won’t be a dud after all! _

After blocks and blocks of swinging, Peter finally finds the source of the screams. An alley only ten minutes from the building they were perched on. The person who was screaming was a young woman who was being cornered in by a skinny figure dressed all in black. 

The figure held a long pipe in one hand and took small steps towards the cowering woman. She clutched her purse, and Peter assumed that’s what the shadow-man wanted.

 But the way that the figure stalked towards the woman was creepy. His movements were stiff and his limbs lanky. Just from seeing him from behind, Peter’s spidey-sense was already screaming and warning him for danger. 

The woman screams once again as the shadow-man gets closer, and Peter decides to put a stop to this. 

“Hey!” Peter shouts as soon as his feet hit the concrete. The figure immediately turns. “Stealing purses is a little cliche for a thief. Ever heard of a thing called originality?”  

Both the man and woman stared at him, confused. The shadow-man is wearing a black balaclava, his eyes narrowed between the eye-cut outs. 

Peter’s ears pick up on the woman mutter a soft, “ _ Spiderman? _ ” 

Then, Peter can sense when Evelyn lands softly behind him, but he doesn't turn to greet her. Not when the shadow-man is sneering at the young heroes. 

“Pick on someone who is willing to give you a good fight,” Peter says, “and let the woman go.” 

“Peter…” Evelyn mutters behind him, a warning for him to not start something he might not be able to finish.

Except Peter knows he can finish this. The man doesn't know what he’s up against, especially if Evelyn is on her brother’s side. So Peter goes ahead and ignores his sister. 

The man tightens his grip on his pipe, and Peter shoots out a web, aiming at the man’s arm. But what Peter doesn't expect is the man to be in-humanly fast. He dodges the web easily, and the strand attaches itself to the wall at the end of the alley. 

Peter hardly gets a chance to spot the figure, before his senses are screaming once again, and he jumps to the right, missing a punch from the man once he suddenly appears at the boy’s side. In the darkness, the shadow-man in nothing more than a blur, and Peter breathes deeply, his heart racing.  

_ What the fuck!  _ His brain supplies. 

Vaguely, he can register Evelyn helping the woman up and ushering her out of the alley, and out into the safety of the city. 

But then the man is running again and Peter just watches as the blur does circles around him, making him feel slightly dizzy. He only stops when there is a sickening crunch, and Peter’s eyes find the figure holding his nose in pain. 

Evelyn had punched the man square in the nose and sounded as if she had broken something. When the man looks back up at her, his mask is damp with something dark and coppery, and his eyes darken. 

He immediately lunges at Evelyn, but for the first time, Peter is faster and he tackles the figure. They fall to the ground with a grunt and roll around on the dirty concrete. 

Peter gets a few good punches in before he sees the man pull a flash of silver out of his pocket, and then everything shifts. 

Pain explodes through Peter’s side, and he hardly registers that it’s him screaming as the man drags to knife from the bottom of Peter’s rib cage, down to his waist. The smell of blood invades Peter’s nostrils, and he gags against his cries of pain. 

The man reaches his filthy hands up and pushes Peter off of him with a harsh shove. 

The boy falls much quicker then he would have liked, and his skull hits the ground with a sickening  _ smack.  _

“Peter! Peter!” Evelyn shouts, rushing to her brother’s side. 

Peter can feel it as the man runs from the alley, his spidey-senses calming slightly. 

So instead, his eyes drift to his sister. Her face is riddled with fear and panic, as she has pulled her mask up so he can see her properly. 

“Ev…” He starts, but talking hurts his pounding head, and he shuts his mouth with a groan. 

“Peter, Peter I’m going to call for help, okay?” Evelyn says, her hands on his cheeks. She wipes away tears from his eyes. Funny, he didn’t even realize he was crying. 

“I’ll--  _ ugh _ , I’ll be o--okay,” he mumbled. 

She looks at him in shock, and he can see her physically try to calm herself down. “Okay, Pete, but I’m still getting help.” 

Peter tries to nod, but his head pounds, so he just lies still. He can feel the blood pouring out of his wound, and he grimaces. His body burns with pain, and his headaches more than he’s ever felt before. His vision is suddenly dipping in and out, dark spots clouding the edges of his sight, and the feeling of spinning makes him want to be sick. 

The idea of sleep is too welcoming right now. 

Evelyn notices his eyes falling closed, and she is leaning over him in an instant. 

“Peter! Pete-- come on, bud. You gotta stay awake for me, okay? No sleeping!” 

She pats his cheek a few dozen times, and he wants to swat her away, but his arms are too tired. The ground is now reeking of blood and copper. 

“Yeah…” he slurs.  _ Yes, sleep, please.  _

“No! Pete, wakey, wakey! I’m getting you help! No sleeping on the job, Peter! Once you are okay, then you can sleep!” 

But Peter’s eyes were already halfway shut, and his sister was holding his face with shaky hands. 

Suddenly, the sound of a loud  _ clunk  _ on the pavement filled Peter’s ears, and he shook slightly under the force of whatever just landed. 

“Peter--  _ fuck _ ,” a new voice swore, and then Peter sensed a new presence. 

_ Who’s that?  _

Peter couldn’t see as his eyes were heavy and wouldn’t open, and Evelyn was still holding his head still. 

“FRIDAY, scan!” The new voice ordered. 

_ Tony,  _ Peter’s mind told him. 

A strange woman’s voice said something that Peter couldn’t pick up. The pain was starting to turn into a dull numbness that was overtaking his whole body. Breathing was becoming harder as well, and any air he could get in was cold and sharp. 

_ Am I dying?  _

Tony drew in a sharp breath above him, then said, “No, Pete, you’re not dying.” 

_ Wait, I said that out loud?  _

Finally, sight completely left him. The world fell into darkness, and he hardly registered the fact that he was being pulled into Tony’s arms or that they were taking off in the direction of the compound. The wind biting into his numb skin; the sound of thruster's filling his head. 

Peter’s final thought was,  _ huh, at least I won’t be dying alone.  _

If he had enough energy, he might have chuckled. 

Then, since it was so damn inviting, he allowed himself to fall into the inky depths of unconsciousness, never knowing if he was ever going to resurface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...not sorry. 
> 
> I have an actual design for Evelyn's suit, and I didn't have a way of putting in here that I liked, so I made a Tumblr. I drew a picture of her in it, and please forgive my artistic skills, I tried. (I am also way better on paper then digitally, so I had to deal with that.) The suit is mostly me just trying to imagine something stylish yet functional and also taking inspiration from other super suits. 
> 
> Here's the link: https://14million-constellations.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> I honestly don't know how much I will post on there, but I'm gonna try. 
> 
> Also, I kinda love this chapter despite how it ended. I hope you can forgive me. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week.


	20. Twenty: Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter shrugs, “I’m okay.” 
> 
> “Okay? Peter, what happened to you last night wasn’t just some routine check-up. They had to give a blood transfusion. You were cut open.” 
> 
> Peter cringes at the man’s words, and his eyes fall to his knees. “I’m sorry. But I am okay. My healing helped.”

To put it lightly, Tony was nervous. 

He tried not to be, he was, of course, the one who suggested that they go on patrol, but the level of anxiety that filled him as he watched Happy’s car drive away was almost concerning. 

He stood outside even after the car was long gone, just watching the tree line, waiting for something… yet, he didn’t exactly understand what it was. 

He just had a bad feeling. A feeling like something unwanted was brewing and waiting to erupt. A storm that churned threateningly, yet Tony couldn’t detect it on any of his radar’s. The feeling itched at his skin, and planted his feet to the concrete, and glued his eyes on the tree line. 

He only jumped a little when Pepper placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“What are you waiting for?” 

Tony sighed. “Do you ever get a feeling?” 

Pepper wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing against his back. “A feeling…?” she asked, resting her head against his. 

“Like, a  _ bad  _ feeling,” Tony brought his hands up to touch hers; her strawberry blonde hair tickling his cheek. 

Tony can feel Pepper tense against him, and she pulls her head back so she can look at him. Tony keeps his eyes glued to the horizon. 

“Are  _ you _ getting a bad feeling, Tony?” 

Tony knew that she knew the answer to that, but he was now realizing just how crazy he would sound if he gave an actual answer to that question. He could already feel his fiance tensing, judging by the way her fingers were squeezing his shoulders. 

So, instead, Tony turns so he is facing Pepper, and kisses his forehead. 

“No, of course not,” he says, his lips resting against her warm skin. “Don’t worry.” 

She doesn't un-tense, but she does nod, and he’s satisfied. 

“Come on,” he takes her hand and her eyes meet his. “Let’s go inside. I don’t want you getting frostbite.”

Pepper almost snorts. “It’s May… and not cold.” 

Tony gives a small smile. “I know, just… let’s go.” 

Pepper leans forward and gives him a small peck on the lips. “Sure.” She then proceeds to lead Tony back into the building herself, resulting in him chuckling and rolling his eyes behind her back. 

 

….

 

Tony thinks that maybe a movie will help him get his mind off it. 

They curl up on the couch, Pepper leaning against his shoulder, her knees pulled up against his. Some of the team is already in the common room when they enter, so Bruce, Wanda, and Vision join them. 

Bruce picks out “Avatar” and FRIDAY immediately starts the film. Everyone seems pretty immersed in the plot, but Tony has seen it before, so he doesn't protest when his mind starts to wander. 

His eyes keep starting to clock, the digital numbers creeping by far too slow for his liking. It was only eight o’clock when the elevators opened and Steve walked in. He froze when he saw the movie on the screen, and it was his voice that broke through Tony’s thoughts. 

“Woah, that guy’s blue.” 

Bruce and Pepper chuckle. Wanda gestures him over. 

“Come watch. You haven't missed much,” the girl says with a smile. Steve wanders closer and sits down on the sofa next to Bruce. 

Tony looks to the super-soldier whose eyes are now glued to the television screen, and then, without invitation, his gaze darts back to the clock. 8:06. 

The kids wouldn’t be back for hours. 

“I’m going to the lab,” he whispers into Pepper’s hair. 

She startles and looks up at him with slight puzzlement. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m good. Just-- I gotta finish up some stuff.” 

Pepper doesn't look at-ease, but she lets him go. “Okay.” 

Tony gives her a quick kiss to the top of her head and then makes his exit. He doesn't pay attention long enough to know if anyone else protests his leaving.

 

….

 

Despite his efforts, working in the lab does nothing to curb his anxiety. 

That bad feeling follows him wherever he goes. It lingers over his head like a cartoonish cloud that won’t stop raining down on him. No matter how much he tries to immerse himself in the upgrades to his most recent suit, his conscious won’t leave him alone.  

A series of intrusive thoughts that made his heart clench and breath catch in his throat. 

His fingers tremble as the panic slowly starts to build, and he has to take a break when the screwdriver in his hand slips and clatters to the floor. 

_ Stop this,  _ the sensible side of his brain chastises.  _ You are the one that suggested they go. You gave them suits. You were excited about this just a few hours ago.  _

Letting out a loud sigh, he spares a quick look at the clock. 

11:52. 

He said curfew was midnight. Still, eight minutes to go. 

Tony buries his face in his hands. “Can’t time go any faster?” He mumbles into his palms. 

“Boss.” 

Tony’s head whips up at the sound of FRIDAY’s voice. Something about the AI’s tone puts Tony on edge, and his heart pounds. “What is it, Fri?” 

“The readings on Peter’s suit are informing me that he is serious distress.” 

If Tony was standing, he would have fallen to the ground.  _ I knew something was wrong! _

FRIDAY continues, “Rapid blood loss, head injury, and increased heart rate. Evelyn’s vitals are also coming back elevated. Above-average heart rate, and border-line hyperventilation.” 

“Oh my god,” Tony gasps and suddenly he is running. 

He calls the suit on him subconsciously, his fingers seeming to have a mind of their own, and then he is taking off into the night sky. 

“Give me their location, FRIDAY!” He orders and a little red blip shows up in his field of vision. “And pull up both of their vitals!” 

Two different sets of heart rates appear in the bottom corners of his screen. Peter’s was dipping and rising dramatically, while Evelyn’s was far too high for Tony’s liking. 

“Shit, shit, shit, shit…” he swears through clenched teeth and urges his thrusters to maximum speed.  

Finally, he arrives at their location, and the sight waiting for him makes his heart plummet. Peter is lying on the ground, the side of his suit dark and spilling blood onto the pavement into a growing puddle. Evelyn is kneeling over her brother, her eyes wide and hands holding his head still. 

Tony lands with a loud  _ clunk _ , his mask immediately opening, and he has to hold back a gag when the smell of blood hits his nose. Evelyn’s head shoots up in his direction, and her eyes filled with tears that tug at Tony’s heart. 

A low gurgle suddenly rises from the back of Peter’s throat, and Tony is drawn back to the boy lying before him. 

“Peter--  _ fuck _ ,” Tony hissed, and scrambled towards his kid. 

He kneeled down beside the kids and stared at the face of the boy. The child’s skin was unnaturally pale, and his eyes were half-open, his blinks lasting seconds longer than they should. 

“FRIDAY, scan!” Tony commanded, and FRIDAY quickly relayed information to him, but it wasn’t anything new. Tony grumbled under his breath as he watched Peter groan. 

Evelyn whimpered, her hands still holding the sides of her brother’s face. Part of Tony wanted to try and comfort the girl, but a bigger part knew that Peter was in trouble, and Evelyn could wait. 

“Am I dying?” Peter suddenly mumbled, his voice slurred. 

Tony’s heart skipped a beat. “No, Pete, you’re not dying,” Tony tries to say without making it sound choked off. 

Tony watches the boy’s head lob to the side as his sister’s grip loosened, and the billionaire swooped in to scoop up the boy before giving it a second thought. He tucked Peter against his chest and looked to Evelyn briefly. 

The girl was staring at him with terror-stricken eyes. She clutched her mask in her trembling hands. 

“Keep up,” Tony says, “we’re going home.” 

She nods and immediately pulls her mask on. 

Tony turns back to the boy. “It’s okay, Petey. You’re going to be okay.” 

With that, his mask folds back over his face, and he is taking off into the air, silently cursing himself for not being able to stop this sooner. 

 

….

 

Tony bursts through the doors of the medbay, Peter’s head lolling in Tony’s arms, and coming back around to hit the metal of the man’s chest plate. The boy shows no signs of distress. 

At some point, Peter passed out on the trip over, which Tony didn’t happen to notice in time to try and wake him. It must have been around the same time as he was calling Bruce and the medbay’s staff, telling them to all be ready. 

So by now, with Tony still in his suit and running into the waiting room, an unconscious fifteen-year-old in his embrace, a team of doctors and nurses were waiting for him. 

A flurry of voices surrounded Tony as soon as he was noticed. The mob of medical professionals race to his side, two of them taking Peter and immediately placing him on a stretcher. 

Once the teen is secure, they all start towards a set of metal doors, and down a second hallway. Tony, in his flurry of panic, chases after him. But he doesn't get far before Bruce steps in front of him, and Tony skids to a halt. 

“Tony, stop,” Bruce says, holding his hands out as if the man might attack him. 

“Bruce,” Tony says, breathless, “please-- I need to be with him. Ple-- please.” 

Bruce looks apologetic as he shakes his head. “Tony, we know his condition. FRIDAY sent the scan, remember? He’s being looked after. Helen Cho is back there right now.” 

“Bruce…” Tony says again, but it comes out more like a whimper. “I…,  _ please.  _ He’s my boy. I need to be there for him.” 

“I’m sorry, Tony. But it would be better for both of you if you stayed here.” 

Tony wants to protest. He wants to shout and push his friend aside. He was still wearing his suit, he  _ could _ do it. But tears were already burning his eyes, and he miserably nods his head instead. 

Once Bruce knows that Tony won’t attack him, he lowers his arms and turns, pushing open the metal doors Peter disappeared through and leaves. 

That’s when the tears start to fall. Tony wipes at them angrily, his eyebrows furrowing and teeth-gritting as the moisture streams down his cheeks. 

Blindly, he stumbles backward and falls into a waiting room chair, the armor around him making a rough clunking noise. His fists are still covering his eyes when the hand is laid on his shoulder. 

He sits with a jolt and looks up to see Pepper sitting in the chair next to him. 

“Pep…” He cries softly. 

Pepper’s face is soft, and she reaches up a hand to wipe the tears still flowing down his cheeks. “Hey, darling.” 

“I-- I…” Tony tries, but his chest is racked with a sob, and he falls into Pepper’s embrace, feeling like he needs someone to hold him together. Pepper just takes him with open arms. 

She holds him as he buries his face in the crook of her neck and cries. She runs her fingers through the back of his hair, her other hand wrapped around his shoulders. He allows himself to be bathed in the soothing sounds she makes as she comforts him, and the small hiccups of his sobs. 

Eventually, after several long minutes, Tony gives a sniff and pulls away. 

He stares at his unbelievably gorgeous fiance, and taps his arc reactor, allowing the suit to melt away from his body. Now he just sits in his jeans and black shirt, his eyes red from crying; no IronMan, just him. Tony. 

Exactly how Pepper likes it.  

She smiles and cups the side of his cheek. He leans into the touch happily. 

“Are you okay?” She asks. 

He nods, “I am now.” 

“Good.” 

“I’m sorry I missed the movie.” 

And Pepper actually laughs. It’s the most amazing sound and is exactly what Tony needed. “That’s alright. Your kids needed you.” 

Tony nods again, but then he pauses.  _ His kids.  _ Oh god, Evelyn wasn’t with them. 

Tony sits up in his seat, his eyes looking around the waiting room as if she might just magically appear out of thin air. 

He told her to follow them. He didn’t even check to see if she got back safely before handing Peter over. He didn’t even check  _ after that.  _ He was too wrapped up in his own troubles to notice one of his kids missing. He was the worst foster-dad ever--

Suddenly, a loud crashing noise reaches Tony’s ears, snapping him from his panicked thoughts, a frazzled looking nurse pushes through the waiting room’s main doors. 

“Mr. Stark?” The nurse asks, his eyes were wide. “Your daughter is having a breakdown. She won’t let any of us near her.” 

Tony was out of his seat in seconds. He ran past the nurse and into the connecting hallway. He ran down the hall and pushed through the second set of doors. Now he was standing in the main entrance to the medbay, which was really just a tall foyer. 

There were two or three couches, a few chairs, and a coffee table or two, one of which had been upturned. Glass littered the floor, and Tony assumed that was the source of the crashing noise. 

But the thing that made him the most panicked was the sight of Evelyn curled into the far corner. She had her head buried in her arms, her body shaking with sobs. A few nurses were standing around, talking worriedly, all of them too afraid to approach the girl.  

Tony immediately stormed over. 

“Ev?” He asked, kneeling down in front of the child. He could feel the stares of everyone else on his back. 

Her head immediately shot up. Her face was red and blotchy, and stained with tears. It made Tony’s heart twist, and he suddenly wished it was just the two of them in the room. 

“T-- Tony,” she stammered, her chin wobbling with held-back sobs. 

“Hey, kiddo.” 

_ “Tony,” _ the girl gasped and fell into his arms. He took her quickly, pulling her into his embrace and holding tight as she shook against his hold. 

“Oh, Ev,” Tony mutters as he falls into a sitting position, leaning against the wall, and she is pulled into his lap. Her head rests against his chest, and his chest clenches as she continues to cry. “Sweetheart.” 

_ Huh,  _ he thinks to himself.  _ Never called her that before.  _

“I coul-- couldn’t save him fr-- from the m-- man.”  

Tony’s brows draw in slightly from confusion, but he speaks softly. “What man?” 

He was happy to see that nurses were starting to leave the room, and she spoke when they were alone. 

“The one who hurt him,” Evelyn answers, her voice muffled from Tony’s shirt against her cheek. Thankfully, her tears had slowed down. 

Tony tensed, his embrace tightening around the child, protectiveness surging through him as easily as blood. 

“I was supposed to be there,” she whispers, “I am his partner. What kind of hero can I be if I let my own brother die?” 

Her voice breaks at the end, and Tony is reminded of the stench of Peter’s blood and his horribly pale face. The sound of Evelyn’s whimpers as she forced herself to be strong. But Peter wasn’t here to see this right now, she didn’t have to keep that up. She could let herself break. 

“I let everyone die,” the girl suddenly whimpers. “Mom, Dad, Uncle Ben… Aunt May.” A few tears roll down her cheeks and seep into Tony’s shirt. “It was because of me. We got into that car crash because of me. I dropped her phone down between the seats, and she looked away to see if I had it, and it was only a second, but it didn’t matter. That car came at us, and we swerved to quickly, and then… she was-- she-- she…” 

Evelyn chokes on a sob, and then she is trembling once again. Tony feels himself physically curling around the girl, trying to protect her from the world’s horrors. He held her like that until she had finally calmed down, the whole time, whispering reassurances in her ear. 

Once her body had ceased sobbing, he kissed the top of her head, and she let out a shaky exhale. 

“That wasn’t your fault, Evie,” he whispers. “That was just an accident. That wasn’t your fault at all. You are going to be okay. Okay? I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.” 

 

….

 

An hour later, Tony, Pepper, and Evelyn were sitting in the waiting room, just… waiting. 

It had felt like forever, and there had been no one else in or out. No news, good or bad. The amount of anxiety Tony was feeling was deafening, and he could think of a million things he would rather do than this. 

He might as well be sitting through an executive board meeting… at least that was somewhat productive, and about a hundred times less stressful. 

He noticed Evelyn yawn beside him, and then he remembered that it was past one in the morning. 

“You can nap, kiddo,” he says, catching her attention. “I’ll wake you up.” 

“No,” she says stiffly. “I, just… no. I can’t.” 

And Tony was too caught up in his own mind to argue, despite how tired the girl looked, so he let it slide. His eyes went back to staring at the wall opposite them. 

Suddenly, the metal doors swung open and Bruce stepped out. All of them sat up straighter. Tony was happy to see that his friend was smiling, and he felt his stiff posture deflate slightly. 

“He’s going to be fine,” Bruce says. “He’s just sleeping now.” 

Tony lets out a long exhale. Evelyn’s hand rests on his leg, but when he glances in her direction, he notices her still staring at Bruce. She probably didn’t even notice she was doing it.  

“We got the bleeding under control,” Bruce continues, “A quick transfusion, then we patched up the wound on his side. It’s going to scar, but luckily, he will be able to cover it. Nothing we can do there. He has a concussion, it was pretty severe, which is why he was losing consciousness so quickly. Well, that and the rapid blood loss. But we have him on painkillers, and it seems to be helping. The grade dropped down to moderate, but with his healing factor, we’re hoping the head injury will be gone within a few hours. Pretty simple.” 

Pepper smiles, “Bruce, I don’t think you know the meaning of the word simple.” 

Bruce chuckles, “Fine, simple to me.” 

“When can we see him?” Evelyn butts in. 

“Now, if you wish. He’s sleeping, but you can always be there for when he wakes up.” 

Evelyn nods her head quickly, and Bruce turns, leading them through the metal doors and down a brightly lit hallway. They pass multiple rooms until they stop, and Bruce opens the door that belongs to Peter.  

The room is dim, but Tony can still make out Peter’s form on the bed. There is a bandage around the boy’s head, and he breathes rhythmically, which instantly eases Tony’s worry. 

There were a couch and two armchairs in the room, along with a desk chair by the bed. Evelyn instantly sits down next to the bed. 

“Evelyn,” Pepper starts, setting a hand down on the child’s shoulder. “Why don’t you lie down. It’s late. You should get some sleep.” 

“No,” Evelyn says quickly, “Thank you. No thank you. I’m fine here.” 

Pepper presses her lips together but backs off. “Alright.” 

Tony walks over to the woman’s side. “You take a chair. If you can get to sleep, I recommend it. Tomorrow's Monday, after all.”

Pepper sighs, running a hand down her face and nodding. “Right. Uh… I’ll call the school for them in the morning.”   

“Love you,” Tony kisses her softly. 

“Love you, too.”  

Pepper wanders over to one of the huge armchairs and Tony can see her drifting off as soon as she sits down. He smiles softly and turns back to Evelyn. 

The girl is watching Peter sleep, her gaze steady and unblinking. Peter just breathes. In and out, in and out, in and out… He’s okay. Tony had to keep reminding himself that. 

He was alive. He was going to continue living. He didn’t do anything wrong. 

“Ev,” Tony whispers, watching the girl’s hand find Peter’s and squeezing it softly. “Let’s get some sleep.” 

“I’m not tired.” 

But she yawned, and Tony chuckled under his breath. He could see her eyes dropping, but he could also see the determination she held to watch over her brother. 

“Sweetheart, let’s get some sleep. Both of us. Peter won’t awake ‘till morning. No point in us just sitting here.” 

“But…” She starts, “But--” 

“Peter will be fine. He  _ is _ fine. He would want you to sleep as well, though.” 

She is silent, but when Tony lays a hand on her shoulder, she leaned into the touch. 

“You’re tired, kiddo, I can see it.” 

Finally, she nods. She stands from the chair and drags herself towards the couch. As soon as she gets comfortable, Tony covers her in a blanket. She mumbled something that sounds like thanks, but she’s already half asleep. 

“No problem, kiddo,” Tony says with a smile. He smooths her hair back, before making his way to his own chair and falling into the cushions. 

He was asleep in seconds. 

 

….

 

Tony woke up from a restless sleep to the sounds of sheets ruffling. 

He immediately jolts to life, to see Peter staring at him from his bed. The boy’s brown eyes are wide, and he watches his foster-father closely. 

“Hi,” Peter says, his voice hoarse. 

“Hi. How long have you been awake?” 

Peter shrugs. “Not long. Tried not to wake you.” 

Tony chuckles, “Yeah, well, I’m surprised she isn’t all over you by now.” 

Tony gestures towards Evelyn who was still curled up on the couch. Peter sighed. 

“How was she?” 

Now it was Tony’s turn to sigh. “How much do you remember?”

“Just pieces. I can remember how freaked out she was, though. She was trying to be strong, for me, but I know her. I now have enough sense to know that she was forcing herself to be calm.”   

Tony nods, “Did it help? Her forcing herself to be calm?” 

Peter’s eyes drift to his sister, then to a blanket covering his lap. “I think so. I don’t remember being frightened, just… confused.” He pauses, “Was she okay?” 

Tony looks at Evelyn. Her sleep seems restless, as she twitches suddenly and mutters something under her breath. “She was… rough. I don’t know. Even a month ago, when you went off to try foster care, the panic attack she had then was nothing compared to last night.” 

Peter’s eyes widen, and then he’s looking at his sister again. “Did she…” 

“She broke a table,” Tony sighs and Peter takes a long breath. “There were all of these nurses trying to get to her… I… I didn’t see it happen, but I know she didn’t intend for the table to shatter.” 

“Sometimes her powers just get away from her,” Peter supplies, sounding tired. 

Tony studies the boy, “How are you, Pete? What happened last night… we were pretty freaked out.” 

Peter shrugs, “I’m okay.” 

“ _ Okay? _ Peter, what happened to you last night wasn’t just some routine check-up. They had to give a blood transfusion. You were cut open.” 

Peter cringes at the man’s words, and his eyes fall to his knees. “I’m sorry. But I am okay. My healing helped.” 

“Your healing was the only thing keeping you alive.” 

Peter closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry.” 

Tony felt himself growing angry. “I don’t want you to apologize. I just… I was  _ so worried.” _

“I didn’t mean to get hurt.” 

Tony looked at the child in disbelief. “ _ Of course _ you didn’t intend to get hurt, but that doesn't excuse the fact that  _ you did. _ ” 

“I’ll be more careful.” 

“You bet your ass you will,” the anger was starting to seep into his voice. 

“That guy was just…” Peter shakes his head. “It all feels blurry.” 

“Pete--” 

At that moment, Evelyn’s eyes pop open and she bolts up into a sitting position. “Peter,” she gasps, jumping off the couch and running to his bedside. 

“Hey, Evie,” Peter says with a smile. 

Evelyn stalls by his side, obviously wanting to jump into a hug, but feeling nervous about it. Peter reaches an arm out, pulling her into a one-armed hug she gently returns. 

“I’m okay,” he reassures. 

“You’re okay,” she whispers. 

The team showed up not too long after, all of them crowding into the room and greeting Peter with huge smiles. Peter looks happy to see them, and soon enough, everyone is laughing and making and effort to distract themselves from the reason they’re all gathered in the med bay. 

Tony watches as Nat pulls out a deck of cards, and Peter and Evelyn both perk up. 

In a matter of minutes, Peter has dealt out hands to himself, Nat, Evelyn, and Steve and the twins take turns talking over each other in their attempts to teach Cheat. 

“Hey, Tones,” Rhodey says, catching his friend’s attention. “We’re going to get coffee, want to come?” 

Tony nods, “That would be amazing.” 

He follows Rhodey, Clint, and Sam out of the room, the four of them walking towards the doctors lounge. Once there, Rhodey immediately starts a fresh pot, and Clint pulls four mugs out of the cupboard. 

Sam starts up a conversation about something he saw on the news the previous night, and the conversation flows smoothly, much to Tony’s delight. The coffee finishes brewing, and full mugs are handed out. 

Tony is taking his first sip when Clint speaks up. 

“So, Stark, when are you adopting Evelyn and Peter?” 

Tony immediately chokes on his drink. “Uh… what?” He asks, trying to laugh off the slip-up. 

He is just met with expectant stares from the other three. 

“You’re joking, right?” Sam asks, grinning. “You’re, like, their Dad.” 

“No, I’m not.” 

“Tones,” Rhodey starts, placing his mug on the countertop. “The day before you brought them here, you told all of us, and I quote, “They will be living here as long as they can, hoping that it works.” And, uh, Tony it’s working. They _ love  _ it here.  _ You _ love having them here. Hell, we all actually love having them here.” 

“It’s not as horrible as I thought it was going to be,” Clint says, taking a sip. 

“They’re a good change of pace,” Sam comments. 

“And don’t you want kids?” Rhodey asks, “Don’t say you don’t, because I know you do. Tony, those are your kids. They’re just waiting for you to sign those forms, it’s obvious. The way they look at you… that’s the way that you look at your father.”

“Pepper would never go for it,” Tony says, sadly. 

Sam shakes his head, “Stark, Pepper is quite honestly one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Where do you think this foster-care was headed? She’s their foster-mom. She signed off on the forms just like you did. Pepper has known that this was going towards adoption this whole time. She’s already on board.”

Tony just stared at his friends, eyes wide. 

What they were saying was all true. And it’s not like he didn’t want it. Because he did,  _ god, did he ever.  _ He thought about it every day. Every time one of those kids laughed, or shot back a witty comment, or cried.  __

He thought about how he wanted to be a part of their lives forever. He wanted to make them Stark’s. He wanted to see them graduate high school, and then college; see them get married and have kids, become a  _ grandfather _ .

He wanted them to be there when he took his final breaths. 

He couldn’t imagine giving them up, putting them back into that god awful system. Leaving them just like everyone else did. 

“Come on,” Clint suddenly said, “I want to teach those kids how to properly play poker.” 

“Uh, that’s a no,” Rhodey says. 

“Doesn't matter, Nat’s probably already taught them.”  

Sam chuckled, “Do Cooper and Lila know how to play?” 

“You bet. Coop was dealing out hands when he was seven.” 

Rhodey shook his head as they walked out the door, “How you convinced Laura to marry you, I’ll never know…”  

The man’s voice trailed as the door shut behind the three. Tony still stood in the lounge, staring at the linoleum floor distantly. 

He couldn’t get Clint’s original comment out of his head. Suddenly, he was very excited to go back and see his kids. 

 

….

 

That night, Peter and Evelyn fell asleep pretty quickly. Evelyn had a cot set up beside Peter’s bed, and they both drifted off facing each other. 

Tony went to the washroom and came back to find them breathing rhythmically. Peter was even snoring softly. 

The man smiled. 

Pepper looked up from her chair, her face glowing slightly from the shine of her laptop screen. She grinned at her fiance. “I guess two teenage superheroes can only handle so much excitement.” 

“I guess so.” 

Tony looked at his gorgeous fiance, and then to his two beautiful foster-kids. A warm feeling filled his chest, and he was so happy to get to think of them as part of his family. So when the decision reached his mind, he didn’t even have to double-check to make sure it was the right one. 

They were going to adopt Peter and Evelyn. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, OMG, OMG--   
> I cannot contain my excitement that they are finally going to get adopted by Tony and Pepper. It only took us twenty chapters to get here! 
> 
> Do not worry, this story will still be going on for quite a while. I am not ending it just because they are getting adopted. I love them too much to do that to myself. 
> 
> Also, this chapter was almost twelve pages, which is longer than usual for a chapter. I just couldn't cut it off, I really wanted to share that ending thought with you guys so bad!! 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week!


	21. Twenty-one: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Happy doesn't hate you. He just needs to warm up to the idea of you.” 
> 
> “He probably thinks we rob banks. He sure stares at us like we do.” 
> 
> “He’s cautious.” 
> 
> Evelyn looks to her knees. “Whatever you say, birthday boy.”

Evelyn’s nights after Peter’s accident were plagued with nightmares. 

The first time it happened, she woke up in a cold sweat and stared at her snoring brother until she could successfully lower her heart rate. The dream wasn’t the worst one she’d ever had -- nothing like the ones that followed her after May’s death or Aunt Jen’s arrest -- but it was still enough to keep her awake for a few hours. 

Eventually, she drifted back into a sleep that she happily found dreamless, and in the morning told herself that her bad sleep was the result of the terrible cot she was resting on. 

The next night was a lot like the former; a dream that jolted her into consciousness and kept her awake until she couldn’t hold her eyes open any longer. She grumbled under her breath about how Tony should invest in better visitor sleeping conditions and promptly fell back asleep. 

But the third night was the worst.  

She was back in that alleyway from a few days prior, except, instead of Peter bleeding out at her feet, it was Aunt May. And instead of a masked shadow-man baring the bloody blade, it was Aunt Jen. 

“Wha--” Evelyn trembled, looking around, confused. She was sure this couldn’t be real, yet, at the same time, it felt so lifelike. 

 _Sounded_ too lifelike. _Smelt_ too lifelike.   

That same coppery scent invaded Evelyn’s nostrils as blood streamed far too quickly onto the dark pavement, creating a crimson pool around her late aunt. 

“Aunt May,” Evelyn croaked, tears burning her eyes as she watched May flounder on the ground, gasping for relief. “Aunt--” 

“Shut it,” Jen snarled, suddenly pointing the stained pocket knife too close to Evelyn’s face. “Or you’ll be the next to go.” 

“This can’t be happening,” Evelyn mumbles, tears thick and filling her vision. “This can’t be happening. You can’t be here, _she can’t be here.”_

Evelyn aimed that last part at May who was going pale on the ground. 

 _“May,”_ Evelyn says with a weak sob, her knees protesting when the skin quickly breaks against the cracked concrete. _“A-- Aunt May.”_

Despite how glazed over May’s eyes looked, they still darted from place to place, trying desperately to properly locate the voice that was crying out her name. Finally, May’s gaze lands on her quivering niece, and Evelyn recognizes something that almost looks like a smile pass over her lips. 

“Evie,” May tried, but it came out as a gurgle. 

“I’m so sorry,” Evelyn cries, reaching towards her Aunt’s thin hand. For those few fleeting seconds -- just Evelyn and May and faded reminiscences of old smiles -- the girl forgets who is leering over them. The person who almost killed her, and had so obviously succeeded in getting to the woman who mattered most to Evelyn.   

The girl’s hand is almost touching May’s when Jen’s voice burns through the gasps and sobs like smoldering embers. 

_“Hands off!”_

Evelyn hisses and watches with wide eyes as Jen’s stained blade slices across the back of the girl’s hand. The pain isn’t there though, and instead of blood pouring out of the freshly sliced skin, black ooze forms and bubbles. 

Evelyn watches with astonishment as the black substance floats out of the laceration now decorating her hand, and into the night air around them. It encases the girl in a cloud of smoke and darkness, and blots out her vision until she can’t see her aunt’s, and can’t hear the shallow breathing that once filled the air. 

It takes a few seconds, but eventually, the darkness fades away, and sight and sound is returned to Evelyn’s senses. But this time, she is greeted to a new sight.

She is sitting in a doctor’s office, the lights around her almost assaulting her eyes as she had not yet adjusted, the cut on her hand gone.  

Across from her, seated behind a wooden desk, is a doctor who wears a sorrowful expression.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, shaking his head slowly.

Evelyn watched him as her eyes adjusted and she wondered what he was sorry for. 

“They didn’t make it,” he finishes, and something about those four words makes Evelyn’s stomach plummet. 

She figures at this point that none of this is real life, but a part of her can’t help but believe in what the doctor is saying.

“Who didn’t make it?” Evelyn asks in a small voice. Her hand's grip at the armrests on her chair.   

The man’s green eyes are apologetic. “All of them.” 

 _I don’t understand._ “All of _who?_ ”  

The doctor picks up a clipboard that was suddenly in front of him. “May Parker, Ben Parker, Peter Parker, Leah Turner, Richard Parker, and Anthony Stark.” 

Evelyn is suddenly filled with a horrible urge to be sick. “I don’t understand,” she struggles to say, her stomach doing flips. 

“Miss. Parker, they passed. Didn’t even make it off the table.” 

Evelyn just stares as tears stream down her cheeks. They burn like lava and prick her skin as if tiny needles were being driven into her face. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over… 

The doctor now watches her with a colder expression than before. “You are now completely, and totally, alone.” 

Evelyn gulps. _This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. This can’t be--_

“And it is all your fault.” 

Her jaw clenches. 

“You did this to them.”

She can hear it as her teeth snap under the pressure. 

“And you deserve exactly what is coming to you.”

Evelyn jolts awake with a gasp, hot tears rolling down the sides of her face, and slipping into her hairline. She releases a small sob, her chest jumping as her lungs rush to pull in the fresh air. 

She curls into herself, her eyes blurring. 

In her peripheral, she can see Peter sleeping soundly; the pain meds he was on definitely knocked him out easily. But a sudden movement caught her eye, and her gaze darted over to see Tony standing close by Peter’s bed. 

In the limited light that their night-light cast, Evelyn sees Tony’s eyes drift towards her as she shakes under the thin blankets. 

 _You’re alive,_ her brain chants, _you’re alive, you’re alive, you’re alive. I’m in a hospital, but you’re here too._  

Something about Tony’s face contorts, and Evelyn recognizes the worry. The sympathy that floods his eyes; the emotions of sadness that he had been displaying so often lately, she was certain they would permanently etch themselves into his features. 

He sits down silently on the edge of her cot, the mattress giving a low groan as the extra weight is added. She just hiccups through a sob as he wordlessly pulls her into a hug. 

His embrace is strong, and she melts into his arms as if she’d never experienced a hug before. Her cries became muffled as her face finds it’s spot cradled in the crook of his neck.

They sit like that for a few minutes. 

They don’t talk; Tony doesn't ask her what’s wrong. He knows. She’s glad he knows. 

But after those painful minutes, her throat starting to burn and head feeling achy, Tony does the last thing she expected him too. Tony Stark sings. 

“ _When I find myself in times of trouble…”_ His voice was unsteady, quiet, “ _Mother Mary comes to me…”_

Evelyn allows herself to listen. Tony’s voice was soft and comforting, and surprising, and it was like a wave had washed over the two of them. Like someone had thrown a blanket over their backs when they were least expecting it, and its warmth was wonderful. Paternal. 

Everything Evelyn could have asked for and more. 

Tony continues. _“Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be. Let it be.”_

 

….

 

Peter is released later that evening. 

Cho gives him the all-clear with a smile, as she was obviously impressed with his healing abilities. Peter doesn't hide his smile of pride, and Evelyn doesn't hide her eye roll and not subtle head shake. 

It takes a bit, but Peter eventually gets situated in his room. He was technically healed, but some of the pain was still there, and his movements were definitely limited. Cho had told them to give it another day or so before he would be feeling tip-top.

“What are you doing?” Peter asks as his sister starts to climb into bed alongside him. 

“Sitting with you,” she says, adjusting a pillow behind her so she can sit properly against the headboard. “Where’d the remote go?” 

“You don’t have to stay,” he says and Evelyn almost scoffs.

“Yeah, like I’m just gonna leave you to have your brains rot out from boredom.”  

Peter gestures towards the television. “I’ll have Jake Peralta to keep me company--” 

“And now me. Come on, you can’t get rid of me that easily.” Evelyn takes the remote and turns on Netflix. “Besides, you can’t finish the new season without me. Twin Rule.” 

“I don’t think that’s a rule.” 

“It is now, I just added it. Parker Twin Rule number twenty-eight: No watching the new season of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” without Evelyn.”   

Peter grins, “Or Peter. Make sure this rule goes both ways.” 

“Sure, sure… okay, here we go.” 

She presses play on the next episode, and the sounds of television banter fill the bedroom. Evelyn loves moments like these; when living with Aunt Jen, they didn’t get enough time just being people. They definitely didn’t get any of this while at the home. 

The last time she can picture it was with Aunt May. The last Friday-night-movie-night they ever had. All three of them had fallen asleep while watching “Ferris Bueller's Day Off”, and not even a week later, May had died, and the twins were being carted off to love with a psychopath. 

So yeah, compared to that memory (no matter how nice it had been before) moments like this were so much better. Evelyn smiles as she allowed her head to drop onto her brother’s shoulder, their breathing falling into synch, as did their laughs as they watched the show ramble on, and their brains finally, for the first time in a while, allowing them the simplicity of simplicity.

 

….

 

Evelyn wakes from a dreamless sleep to find her head still on Peter’s shoulder. 

Her brother is fast asleep, and one glance at his digital clock lets Evelyn know that it is now the next morning. 

_Jeeze, it wasn’t even that late when we fell asleep._

But when Evelyn notices the date under the time, she has to do a double-take. It’s May 27th. AKA, Peter and Evelyn’s birthday. 

Evelyn quickly shakes her brother awake. “Peter, Pete, dude, sleepy time is over.” 

“Wha--” He mumbled, his brown eyes fluttering open. 

“Happy birthday,” Evelyn says with a grin, “You’re sixteen.” 

Peter stares at her for a long moment, before his lips stretch into a smile, and he says, “ _You’re_ sixteen.”  

“We both are.” 

“Happy sweet sixteen,” Peter says, giving a grin that shows off his teeth. “Oh shoot, we forgot to buy you a big ass car.” 

Evelyn shoves him lightly, “I don’t want a big ass car, so don’t be a dick.” 

“Ow,” Peter whines lightly, “be nice, little sis, I’m injured.” 

Evelyn shoves him again. “That’s for calling me " _little sis."_  

Peter doesn't seem fazed, as he thinks for a moment, “Tony would probably buy you a big ass car if you asked.” 

Evelyn snorted. “Sure, like either of us is going to ask him for that. Besides, why have a car when you have a personal driver who hates you.” 

“Happy doesn't hate you. He just needs to warm up _to the idea_ of you.” 

“He probably thinks we rob banks. He sure stares at us like we do.”  

“He’s cautious.” 

Evelyn looks to her knees. “Whatever you say, birthday boy.” 

At that moment, the door opens and Tony comes sweeping into the room. Evelyn realized that Tony did that a lot, entered a room like he had some big announcement and wanted everyone to look at him with their undivided attention.  

Sweeping was the perfect way to describe how Tony entered the bedroom. 

“Good morning,” he says with a big smile. 

In his hands are two separate plates, each holding a chocolate chip muffin adorned with a striped candle. 

“And happy birthday,” the man says, almost in a sing-songy voice. 

“You remembered?” Evelyn asks, surprised. She hadn’t even remembered. 

“Of course.” 

“Pepper didn’t tell you?” 

“Nope.” 

“FRIDAY?” 

“No.” 

He sounded proud of himself. 

“What about Lisa? She didn’t email you?” 

“...No.”  

Evelyn has to hold back a smile. Of course, Lisa would remember. 

“This isn’t what I came here to discuss,” Tony says, quickly changing the subject. “We have a birthday breakfast ready upstairs.” 

“What about the muffins,” Peter says, “are those for us, too?”

“If you come upstairs they are. I brought them down to entice you.” 

Peter laughs his amazing Peter laugh. “Well, it worked. I’m starving. Come on, Ev. Birthday breakfast.” Peter was already out of bed, and following Tony out of the room. “Only happens once a year.” 

 

….

 

The breakfast was amazing, so Evelyn instantly knew that Tony didn’t make it. 

Pepper was the only other person that joined them, and the meal went over well. The food was fantastic, and Evelyn ate more than she normally would. The banter and conversation that was exchanged felt fluid and effortless. 

If Evelyn had observed the scene from a distance, she would have just thought it a family enjoying another breakfast together. 

They ate their muffins as the desert. 

“No cake?” Peter asks, staring down at his unlit muffin. 

“You don’t eat cake for breakfast,” Tony says, fiddling with the box of matches. His match was refusing to light. “We can have it after dinner.” 

Satisfied with that answer, Peter smiles. 

“Can I try?” Evelyn asks, holding out a hand for the matches. Tony hands them over reluctantly. 

Evelyn lights the match, only to produce a very small flame. She touches it to the wick of both candles, and they eventually light after a bit of resistance. The flames are short though, so after Evelyn shakes out the match, she allows her fingers to dance over the candles and they suddenly grow bright and tall. 

Peter smiles and sends his sister an appreciative glance.

“Make a wish,” Pepper says, and the twins close their eyes. 

 _I wish for more moments like this,_ Evelyn thinks and blows out her candle quickly. She opens her eyes and watches the smoke drift away from the darkened wick. Soft and grey. Nimble and free. 

When breakfast has been cleaned up, Pepper and Tony invite the twins back to the table before they can sneak back to their rooms. She didn’t want to assume gifts, because everything that Tony had given them so far was more than enough, but she also didn’t know what to expect when it came to Tony Stark. 

“We want to talk to you,” Pepper says, immediately sensing the tension Evelyn and Peter are feeling. “And it’s kinda important.” 

“Okay…” Peter and Evelyn say in unison. 

“Um,” Tony starts, “Pepper and I were wondering, and it’s totally okay if you want to say no, but we were wondering if you would want to let us adopt you.” 

Evelyn suddenly finds herself at a loss of words. Peter must feel the same because he grows tense beside his sister. Both Pepper and Tony watch the children with nervous expressions. 

“Um… I-- I’m sorry… _what?_ ” Peter asked, his voice small. 

“We want to adopt you two,” Pepper answers, her voice resoundingly calm despite the caliber of the statement she just made. 

Evelyn’s voice is barely audible as she says, “Both of us?” 

Tony’s face softens and that familiar sadness is back. “Yes, both of you.” 

Something inside of her felt stupid for asking that question, but then again, she is reminded when Julia and Albert only wanted to foster one twin, and Evelyn was left alone. _But he just said he wanted both of us--_

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes pricked as tears filled them. Peter’s hand found hers under the table and squeezed. She was shaking. 

“We’re wanted,” she says breathlessly. 

“What?” Tony asks. 

Tears fully stream down Evelyn’s cheeks now. “You want us.” 

Tony’s face is flooded with sympathy; his hand reaches across the table and finds hers. “Oh, sweetheart, _of course, I do._ ”  

And Evelyn gives a watery smile. 

She hopes to god that this isn’t a dream, and if this is, she hopes to never wake up; because she is finally feeling true happiness for the first time in a while, and it’s a feeling she never wants to see go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is out late, summer has really kept me busy. I probably won't get another one out for a while. I'm on vacation this next week, and then I have one free week before school starts back up. I'll try to write as much as possible in the free time, but we'll just have to see what happens. 
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter. Yes, the twins are born on May 27th. And yes, I know that's not canonically Peter's birthday, but it's actually the midpoint between Evelyn's birthday (before I made the decision to make her Peter's twin), and MCU Peter Parker's birthday.  
> And yes, I do know that Tony's birthday is on the 29th, that just happened to be a coincidence and was not at all planned. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week.


	22. Twenty-two:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: Two different perspectives in this chapter.

Peter:

 

Peter is woken to the sound of his phone ringing. The Star Wars theme song blares softly and he rolls over with a groan, feeling for his phone on his nightstand, and being cautious not to pull on his almost-healed side. 

Once he was looking at his screen, he frowned as the number was unknown to him. He honestly didn’t feel like talking, as part of him was still asleep, but if the ringtone kept going, someone was bound to barge into his room and tell him to shut up. 

Most likely Evelyn. Maybe Sam. 

“Hello?” He asked, sounding groggy. 

“Good, you’re up.” 

“Huh?... who is this?” 

“MJ.” 

Peter instantly snapped awake. From MJ’s tone of voice, she did not sound like she was ready to be patient, but then again, MJ wasn’t really the patient type. Peter adjusted himself the best he could without wincing, sitting up and almost trying to look presentable before he realized that she couldn’t see him. 

“Oh, hey,” he finally said. 

“Did you just wake up? It’s like, eleven.” 

Peter rubbed an eye. “It’s Saturday… wait-- how did you get my number?” 

“Sadie Jenson gave it to me.” 

Peter’s eyes narrowed. “Sadie  _ who?”  _

“Jenson. Apparently she’s Evelyn’s friend. Don’t ask how she got your number, she’s got her ways.” 

“Oh, okay. That’s not creepy.” 

MJ chuckled softly, and Peter smiled. MJ coughed, and then says, “So… how are you?”

“I’m okay.” 

“Yeah? It’s just… you missed a week of school…” 

Peter’s heart fluttered.  _ Was she worried?  _

“Were you worried?” He asks. 

And suddenly MJ’s whole tone of voice changes. Something cold falls over her, and all traces of that previous laughter is gone. “No,” is all she says. 

“Oh.” 

“I wasn’t worried.” 

“Okay.” 

There was a brief silence and Peter wondered if she had hung up on him. But her steady breaths echoed over the line, and he just sat patiently, waiting.  

“Ned was worried, though,” she finally says, and Peter smiles. 

“He was?” 

“Yep. Super worried. Thought you died or something.” 

“That’s not good. Tell Ned that I’m okay, and will be back on Monday.” 

Peter smiles to himself when he can hear MJ sigh over the line, and then tries to cover it with a second cough.

“Well… see you in calc.” 

“Okay, see you then.” 

“Oh, and Peter…”

“Yeah?” 

“Happy birthday.” 

Peter could feel his eyebrows narrow in confusion. “Wha--” 

“I have ways, too.” 

He just chuckles. “See you on Monday, MJ.” 

“See ya.” 

 

….

  
  


“Have fun,” Happy says as the twins stepped out of the car. 

“We will,” Peter says with a smile. 

“Thanks, Happy,” Evelyn finishes for him. 

“Oh, and be safe,” Happy adds quickly. 

Peter stops, his hand on the door as he stares back into the car. Something in Happy’s eyes looks purely genuine, and Peter nods softly. “Don’t worry. See you at 2:45.” 

“2:45.” 

Peter closes the door and takes off after his sister who was already halfway to the main doors. Falling into step next to her, Evelyn flashes Peter a skeptical grin. 

“Think Tony told him to say that?” 

“No, I think he really meant it.” 

Evelyn hums, something about her tone still sounding doubtful. 

“You never know, Ev,” Peter says, pushing the front door open for her, “he may just be coming around.”

  
  


….

  
  


“Welcome back, Loser,” MJ greets, practically falling into her desk chair next to Peter’s. 

“Hello to you, too, MJ,” Peter says, grinning only slightly. 

“You look terrible,” she says, swinging her feet onto her desk. Her boots cross at the ankles, and Peter finds himself staring at the shoes. 

Black Doc Martens that she has customized with a white marker; small doodles of cartoon aliens, polka dots, and zigzags decorating the shiny material. 

“I don’t look terrible,” Peter simply states. “Evelyn would have told me this morning if I did.” 

That elicits a small chuckle from MJ, and Peter can see her pull a book from her bag from the corner of his eye. A copy of “The Shining” that was thicker than Peter’s whole forearm. MJ opens to the bookmarked page and starts reading like they were not in the middle of a conversation.

Peter just sighs under his breath and turns to face the front of the room, staring at the chalkboard blankly and simply waiting for class to start. 

    Throughout the entire class, MJ continues to read her book under her desk, and Peter continues to watch her in his peripheral. The teacher never seems to notice, and if he does, he never calls her out on not paying attention.  

Soon enough, the bell is ringing, cutting off the teacher mid-sentence. He shuts his mouth and tries to talk over the scraping of chairs as students shuffle out of their seats. 

“Alright, every one complete the questions on chapter seventeen!”      

A few kids give disgruntled mumbles in response, but the teacher just rolled his eyes and slid into his desk. 

Peter notices MJ finally snap out of her stupor, and she reaches for the colorful sheet of paper she was using as a bookmark. But, with her attention obviously divided, her hand swats the bookmark off the desk and it flutters to the floor, landing at Peter’s feet. 

Without giving it a second thought, he leans down and picks it up, his eyes finally falling on the decorative font. The paper was some kind of promotional ad for something called “Academic Decathlon”. 

“What's--” Peter starts, but cuts his sentence short when MJ snatches the ad from his grasp. 

Her fingers brush over his before pulling away, and he instantly tucks his hand into his chest protectively. 

“Sorry, I need that,” she says, filing the mark in between the pages of her book, and snapping it closed. 

“Yeah, uh, sorry,” Peter suddenly finds himself flustered, and he can’t help but think about MJ’s fingers touching his. He just hoped he wasn’t blushing, because his neck was feeling flush. 

MJ quirks an eyebrow, “You okay, Parker?” 

“Yes. I’m good. Uh… what’s academic decathlon?” 

“Oh, uh, just some stupid contest to see which school is the smartest, or some shit,” MJ informs, holding her book close to her chest. 

Peter was about to say something back when their teacher spoke up from the front of the room. “Can you two leave already? I have another class.”  

Peter was sure he was blushing now as he looked around and saw that the room was empty aside from the three of them. The boy nodded quickly and darted from the room, MJ following close behind. 

They walk into the busy hallway, and MJ turns her head, quickly picking up the conversation like they were never interrupted. 

“You should join decathlon,” she says. 

“Even though you said that it was just some stupid smarts contest or some shit.” 

MJ’s face contorted into a puzzled expression. “Did I say that? You should still join, nonetheless. Not now though, we just went to nationals, but definitely next year.” 

“Nationals?” Peter starts, “where?” 

“Washington.” 

“DC?” Peter asks in surprise. Despite all of the moving he had done in the past, he had never made it to the capital city before. 

“No, Washington Kentucky,” MJ says sarcastically,  _ “yes, _ DC.” 

“That must have been fun.” 

“Eh,” MJ shrugs, “the elevator broke down at the monument and Ned was stuck in there for like three hours, but other than that, it was pretty normal for a school trip. We’re here.” 

Peter looks up to see the open door of their geography classroom in front of them. As soon as they step inside, Ned is standing from his desk and speed walking towards them. 

“Peter,” Ned says, sounding relieved. 

Peter doesn't even get a chance to say hello before his friend is wrapping him in a bone-crunching hug. MJ actually takes a step back. 

“Hey, Ned,” Peter chokes out. 

“I thought you frickin died, dude,” Ned says before releasing Peter. 

Peter swallowed nervously as he is bombarded with a series of not so kind memories from that night a week ago.  _ Don’t let him know that you almost did.  _

“I’m okay, Ned. Just went on a… spontaneous family vacation.” 

Ned seems pleased with the answer and smiled, but MJ gave Peter a doubtful look. Suddenly, and much to Peter’s relief, the bell for class rings and he walks to his seat, glad to avoid any questions MJ might have. 

  
  


….

  
  


“You gonna finish your cookie?” Peter asks, already reaching towards his sister’s tray. 

“What? Yes! Get away you fiend,” Evelyn says, slapping his hand away.

Peter pouts for a second, before Ned’s snickering makes him smile and he resumes eating his own lunch.  

“What are you reading now?” Evelyn asks, turning to look at MJ who was seated beside her. 

_ “Stephen King.”  _

“Oh, horror. Is it good?” 

“Yeah. I could lend it to you when I’m done.” 

Evelyn smiles. “That would be cool.” 

“Hey, you want my cookie?” Ned asks, pulling Peter’s gaze away from his sister. “I have more than one.” 

“Oh, you sure?” Peter asks, not wanting to impose. 

“Totally, the lunch lady gave me like, seven.” 

“Well, we don’t want them to go to waste…” Peter and Ned both laugh as Peter takes a big bite from the large cookie. 

Lunch goes over smoothly, and luckily, MJ never tries to question either of the twins about their “spontaneous family vacation”. Ned chats with Peter about how he got this new LEGO “StarWars” set, and they start geeking over the new movie coming out. 

When Evelyn stands abruptly, Peter pulls his attention to Ned so he can catch her before she departs the table. 

“Filling my water bottle,” she answers him before the question even leaves his mouth. 

He just nods. 

She makes her way towards the water fountain at the front of the caf, and Peter looks to Ned. But not even two minutes later, a loud crash is heard and then someone is making a big commotion. 

Every head in the over-packed room whips towards the noise and Peter’s eyes widen when he sees Evelyn standing near the lunch line, Flash standing close by, and her face and shirt drenched with bright blue slushie. 

  
  


Evelyn: 

  
  


More water; that’s all Evelyn wanted. Just to get water. 

Instead, she found herself dripping in brightly dyed syrup, the icy drink seeping into her clothes and causing her to shiver. The now empty, jumbo-sized cup sat at her feet, and Flash gaped at her dramatically from close by. 

“Jesus Christ!” He cried, loud enough for people two floors up to hear. “Watch where you’re going, ass-hat!” 

Evelyn just sputtered. Blue juice dripped down her forehead, and she wiped it away before it could get into her eyes. 

She couldn’t even find the words to speak. She saw what he did. She knew that it wasn’t an accident; Flash purposely stumbled and threw his cup out so that the slushie would douse her.   

She wanted to yell. She wanted to rip him a new one and tell him exactly what she saw. She wanted to let her powers go crazy, and burst every water pipe in the room, blasting him with icy jets of water. 

But then she saw that every single person was staring at her, and all words died in her throat. 

And then she saw Flash briefly smirk. An expression so full of self-pride and satisfaction. Evelyn just hoped that there was enough blue dye number 1 on her face to cover up the blush starting to form. 

Flash crossed his arms and shook his head, almost sadly. “Bitch,” he muttered loud enough for her to hear, and Evelyn decided that she had to get out of there before she tore the greasy scum in two. 

She spun on heel and raced from the caf. Distantly, she could hear a few people calling her name, but she ignored them and darted into the closest gym change room. Luckily, it was empty and she practically slams herself into the sink in her frantic attempts to reach the faucet. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” she curses as the dye starts to burn her eyes. 

She rubs at her face with her fists, as she feels that familiar churning sensation in her gut as she taps into her powers. Without even touching the faucet, it bursts to life with a spray of cold water. 

“Fuck,” now she was cursing for a different reason. The front of her shirt was soaking. 

She allowed her emotions to get the best of her, and the water pressure causes the pipes under the sink to shake aggressively. The sounds gurgling out of the drain threaten for the faucet to brake, and Evelyn quickly clenches a fist in the direction of the sink.

In a matter of seconds, the jet of water calms down to normal stream, slowly filling up the basin. If Evelyn wasn’t concerned about going blind, she would have smirked at the simple act of her powers. 

Peter once told her that a trick like that was the envy of any plumber; that was of course before she realized that she could make herself fly or create pillars of rock. 

“Evelyn?” Someone new says just as the girl is starting to splash water onto her face. 

“Huh?” Evelyn looks over blearily, only one eye open. 

MJ, Jane, and Sadie were standing by the door, watching her blindly try and wash slushie out of her hair. 

“Oh, jeez,” Jane says, her voice sad as all three of the girls rush over to the sink. 

“Okay, we got this,” MJ says with a grin. 

Evelyn gives a small smile as her friends pull out paper towel and start to wipe juice and food coloring from her face and hair. It takes a few long minutes and almost a whole roll of paper, but they finally step away nodding in approval. 

Evelyn looks in the mirror hanging close by. Her face and eyes are red, and her hair is damp, but the blue was gone. 

“Thanks,” she says, turning to the girls. 

“Don’t mention it,” MJ says. 

“We would be the worst if we just left you,” Jane says, but then her smile turns into a scowl, “Flash is a dick.” 

“Agreed,” Sadie says, nodding. “He totally did that on purpose.” 

Evelyn bites the inside of her cheek. “I don’t understand why. I’ve never even talked to him before.” 

MJ draws a long inhale. “Flash is petty. He feels bad about himself for some reason, so to boost his already too large ego, he takes it out other people that make him feel even worse about his own life.” 

“Also, he may be smart, but he’s also pretty fuckin’ dumb, so when  _ really _ smart people move into his territory, he becomes defensive,” Sadie explains. 

Jane nods her head, her chocolatey ringlets bouncing on her shoulders. 

Evelyn almost laughs. “I’m not  _ that _ smart. Flash should feel no need to be defensive because of me.”   

“But Peter is,” MJ comments, “so Flash is attacking you to get to your brother.” 

Evelyn’s nose scrunches up, “That is… oh, god, that’s really smart. Peter would be throwing hands by now.” 

MJ snorts, and Sadie snickers at the mental image she must be creating for herself.  

“He actually ran after you when you left, but didn’t come in because, you know, it’s the girl's room. He’s probably in the hallway waiting.” Jane says.

“Oh,” Evelyn says, “I should probably go and see him.” 

“Uh, just wait,” Sadie starts, “your shirt is ruined, so… here,” she unzips her green hoodie and hands it over. 

Evelyn accepts the sweater thankfully and pulls it closed before leaving the change room. 

Just as Jane predicted, Peter is sitting in the hallway; his gaze blank. 

“Hey,” Evelyn says, staring down at her brother. He looks up quickly and instantly jumps to his feet. 

“Hi. Are you okay?” 

“I’ve been better.” 

They end up sitting side by side in comfortable silence. Evelyn doesn't want to go back into the cafeteria and make a spectacle; while Peter is afraid that if he goes back he might break Flash’s nose. 

Evelyn doubted he would, but she didn’t mind the company. But after a few minutes, he says something about going to the washroom and she watches him go into a room a few doors down. 

But she isn’t sitting in silence for long before someone new takes Peter’s spot against the wall. Avi Montgomery has sat down next to her and is smiling so wide, his cheeks are pushing up and causing his eyes to crinkle in an adorable manner.

He waves and Evelyn copies his action, her lips quirked up. 

Avi’s smile was infectious. It beamed like sunlight, and his deep brown eyes twinkled. His caramel toned skin was soft, and with one hand, he pushed his wavy brown hair back. 

Now that they were so close, Evelyn could see the hearing aid nestled in his ear. 

She suddenly felt guilty; she knew he could read lips, but at the same time, she wasn’t well acquainted enough with sign language to hold a proper conversation with her friend. 

“I’m sorry,” she says. 

His smile suddenly turns into a small frown of confusion. 

“I don’t know sign,” she informs. 

But then his smile is back. He pulls his backpack into his lap and takes out a notepad and pen. His smile only grows as he scribbles something down onto the paper, then shoves it under Evelyn’s nose. 

_ No worries,  _ the message reads. 

Avi had incredibly neat handwriting compared to Peter or Tony. Her brother’s writing was legible, but he often wrote so fast that most of the time it all just blurred into one long line of scrawl. Don’t even get her started on Tony’s. 

Ave then takes the pad back and writes something else. 

_ I saw what he did. Are you okay? Slushie burns.  _

Evelyn smiles, then takes the pen for herself and prints:  _ I’m better. But yeah, slushie does burn. How do you know?  _

_ An incident with my sister. Long story.  _

Evelyn laughs when she reads that.  _ I get it.  _

_ But seriously? You’re good?  _

Evelyn looks at the boy next to her, smiles, and then writes,  _ Yeah, I’m good now.  _

  
  


….

  
  


When they get home, Evelyn immediately calls Sadie. 

“What’s up, Evelyn Leeanne?” The girl answers. 

“Sadie, I need a favor.” 

“More of a favor then me washing food dye out of your hair and then letting you wear my hoodie?” 

“No, Sadie--”  

“Speaking of, I want that sweater back.” 

“Sadie, listen to me.” 

There is a long silence on the other end, until Sadie finally says, “Okay, I’m listening.” 

“I need you to teach me sign language.” 

Sadie sounds surprised, “Oh, really? Uh, sure. How much time do you have?” 

Evelyn smiles, “As much as you need.” 

“It will take practice.” 

“I know.” 

“Alright. Awesome,” Sadie actually sounds like she’s smiling. “Oh and, Evelyn Leeanne?”

“Yes, Jenson?” 

“Can I have my sweater back soon?” 

Evelyn gives a dry laugh, “Yeah, don’t worry.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I usually only do one perspective for each chapter, but when it comes to school chapters, Ev and Peter have such different experiences that I can't choose just one to focus on.  
> Besides, I love writing for MJ and Ned, but I also want to expand on the personalities of the OC's I've introduced. 
> 
> But, Evelyn and MJ's friendship is far too cute and wasn't something I knew I needed until I wrote this. Also, I don't think I could be more in love with Avi.
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week.


	23. Twenty-three: Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You look like Mom,” Peter said as soon as she was close enough. 
> 
> Evelyn surveyed him. “You look like a movie star.”

The lab felt lively, which was something Peter welcomed with open arms. 

Tony sat at his main desk, working steadily on an update to FRIDAY’s hard drive. His expression read concentrated, but by the way his shoulders bounced happily to the beat of the music piping through his speakers, he seemed in good spirits. 

Peter was sitting at his own desk -- one of the only worktables in the room that was actually empty -- and he was working on geography homework. His laptop displayed a dozen or so different maps of the world, all of them sectioned off and colour coordinated.  

“What is the capital city of the province of Nunavut?” Peter asks, squinting at an unnamed part of Canada. 

“Iqaluit,” Evelyn and Tony say in unison. 

Peter looks up at his sister with a toothy grin. “Thanks.” 

Evelyn doesn't meet his gaze; her eyes studying the sketchbook she was drawing softly in. “Don’t mention it.” 

Tony’s shoulder’s continued to dance to _Fleetwood Mac._  Peter only noticed now that Evelyn was mouthing along with the lyrics. 

His smile still firmly in place, the boy looks back to his work. 

Not even a minute later, the door to the lab is being swung open, and the sound of expensive heels click against polished concrete. All three of them turn to look at Pepper standing strong like the businesswoman she is. 

“Pep!” Tony says happily. He stands from his chair and strides over to his partner, tapping away at his watch as he walks, and suddenly some small holographic diagrams and charts project into the air between them. 

Pepper stares at her fiance for a second then looks to the holograms. Her expression was unreadable to Peter. 

“I wanted to show you the advancements I am making to FRIDAY,” Tony explains proudly, “thinking that we can incorporate them into SI’s own security system. Make it a lot eas--” 

“You forgot,” Pepper suddenly says, cutting the man off. 

Tony looks at her quizzically. “Forgot what?” 

Pepper waves a hand through the watch’s projections, and with a flicker, they all disappear. She gives an exasperated sigh. “Of course you forgot.” 

“Uh, hon?” Tony asks as Pepper walks over to the couch and sits down next to Evelyn. Her folder full of loose papers gets placed on the coffee table. “You’re kinda leaving me in the dark here.” 

Pepper sighs for a second time, “That charity gala is tomorrow night.” 

Tony seems to tense slightly, but Peter is just confused. He stares at Pepper and notices that woman has almost seemed to deflate.  _ God, even exhausted she looked professional.  _

“Oh, right,” Tony responds. 

“It’s a gala for you,” Pepper says, “I would have least thought you would remember it for that reason.” 

“It’s not my fault, Pep!” Tony cries, sounding defensive, “FRIDAY was supposed to remind me.” 

“FRIDAY has been down all day!” Pepper almost snaps, pushing herself up from the couch. “You told me she would be off at breakfast this morning. You are adding to the hard drive, right? How long have you been trapped in here to forget that?” 

Tony looked flustered, his hands curled into fists angrily. “I’m just as busy as you, Pepper. I’m out here running a business--” 

“You mean the business that you made me CEO of?” Pepper shot back, “Because I thought you made me boss so you could give me the work. That’s at least what I think when I’m working nine to five in that office building!” 

Peter exchanged a look with his sister from across the room. This was the first argument they were experiencing between their soon-to-be-adoptive-parents. 

Suddenly, it was like both of the adults suddenly realized that the twins were in the room and were about to watch them get into a full-on scrap with each other. 

“This conversation is not over,” Pepper says stiffly, “But it will not proceed with children in the room.” 

An unsettling silence fell over everyone, and Peter felt confusion thick on his brain. 

Tony was then giving him a look, and it clicked. 

“Oh, we’ll leave,” Peter says loudly, packing up his work and started towards the door, his sister following in his tracks. 

The adults stayed silent until the heavy glass door was shut firmly in place behind them. After that, even the thickness of the walls wasn’t enough to keep out the volume of the couple’s voices.   

 

….

  
  


“Can we talk?” 

Peter looks towards the door to see Tony standing beside the desk, the man’s calloused fingers pressed against the wooden surface, his expression meek. 

Peter could tell that the billionaire was embarrassed that his kids had witnessed his and Pepper’s fight, but it wasn’t the first time the boy had seen an argument between adults. He had lived with other couples, hadn’t he?

It was all part of being human; Peter didn’t blame Tony or Pepper for having feelings that was anything but sunshine and smiles. 

“Sure,” Peter says, tossing his geography binder to the side. 

Tony walks over to the bed and sits down at the end. Peter stares at the back of the man’s head from his place behind him. 

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Tony says, running his hands down his face. 

Peter just shrugs, “I’m not mad… I get it.” 

Tony turns, “You do?” 

“Of course, people fight. May used to tell us that she never trusted a person who didn’t have a bad bone in their body.” 

Tony smiles at that. “Your aunt was a smart woman.” 

“She was. Ben told me once that May gave him the best advice of his life.” 

“Yeah? What was it?” 

_ “Tie me down now and forever, because you will never find someone who can give better advice than myself.”  _

Tony snorted, “Your aunt’s advice to your uncle was for him to propose?” 

“Yep.” 

“When  _ did _ he do it?” 

“The next day. Best decision of his life.” 

Tony shakes his head, amused. He then leans over and places a hand on the boy’s foot. “But seriously, Pete, I don’t try to start arguments with other people in the room… at least, not anymore. I’m sorry.” 

Peter places his own hand over Tony’s. “And, seriously, Tony… it’s okay.” 

Tony chuckles, “Alright. Good talk, now to go and do it again with Evelyn.” 

“Good luck,” Peter laughs. 

“Don’t try to psych me out, Parker.” 

“I’m not… just offering some helpful advice.” 

Tony smiles and then he’s gone. 

  
  


….

  
  


Dinner was a small affair. A few members of the team were out of state at some conference that SHIELD had set up, so the body count sitting around the table was low. 

Steve was keeping the few people there engaged in some lively conversation, and Peter sat down across from Evelyn, his plate stocked. Tony was next to him, and beside the billionaire was Pepper. They didn’t  _ seem _ angry with each other anymore, but that didn’t stop Peter’s eyes darting back to them every few minutes. 

Wanda had cooked dinner -- turkey chili and warm bread. It smelt delicious, and when Peter went to serve himself, he hovered timidly over the pot. 

“Take as much as you want,” Wanda had said, appearing behind him and noticing his predicament. “I made extra for a reason.” 

Peter had accepted her invitation and even grabbed a bigger bowl. As soon as he was seated, he took no hesitation in digging in. 

“So,” Tony starts when the conversation lulls, “Kids, who wants to go to a charity gala tomorrow?”  

Both Peter and Evelyn pause in their eating and flash each other a look before answering the man. 

“What is it?” Evelyn asks. 

“Basically just a really big party,” Bruce informs in between bites. 

“With dinner,” Sam continues, “and small talk, and uncomfortable clothing.” 

Evelyn’s nose actually wrinkles, “And we want to go to this why?” 

“Because you will be my plus ones!” Tony says with a grin. 

“There’s two of us.” 

“Yes, but I made a request and the event allowed me to bring  _ two _ guests this time around.” 

Pepper pats Tony’s hand, a silent request for her to take over. “A few of the hospitals and medical centers in the city are throwing this as a thank you to Tony for donating the money a couple of months ago, but also as a chance for richer families to donate to their companies. So this isn’t really a matter of if you want to go or not;  _ we’re going.”  _

“All of us?” Peter asks. 

“The four of us, and anyone else who wants to,” Pepper answers. 

“It’s always good endorsement if superheroes show up at these things. Paparazzi eat it up,” Tony says. 

“Too bad none of the superheroes like going to galas,” Sam mutters, stirring his chili. 

Tony’s eyes narrow. 

“I’m not against it, but it's just not for me,” Rhodey pipes up. “Sam’s right; they aren't my favorite pastimes.”

“Anyone else want to bash charity events?” Tony asks, pointing his spoon at the other people at the table. “Brucie? Wanda?” 

Bruce puts his hands up in defense, “No, no, not me. I have absolutely nothing against charity events, but galas are just far too crowded. I wouldn’t last five minutes there.” 

Wanda shakes her head, “I have the same opinions as Bruce.”  

“Fine, what about you, Capsicle?” Tony looks to the end of the table where Steve was seated, “I know Captain America is always being invited to these kinds of gatherings.” 

Steve chuckles to himself, “I have had my fair share, but I'm gonna pass for this one. Sorry, Stark. ” 

Tony just huffs, “Alright, well…” he looks back to his kids, plastering on a smile that wasn’t there moments before, “looks like it’s just us, guys! Hope you know how to dance.” 

“I can’t wait,” Evelyn responds dryly. 

Pepper’s lips turn up slightly, “It will be fun.” 

Evelyn gives her a doubtful stare. 

“Okay, maybe not  _ fun, _ but you will live.” 

Tony nods along with Pepper’s words. “Yes, God knows we’ve been through worse.” 

  
  


….

  
  


The next day after school, Peter walks into his room hoping to sit down at his desk and finish up some calculus work, but instead, he finds a blue clothing bag hung up on the door to his bathroom. 

Curiosity gets the better of him, and he unzips the beg to reveal a deep blue, velvet suit. His eyes widen, and he zips the bag back up out of shock. 

_ Right, the gala.  _

The gala hadn’t been mentioned since last night after supper. He remembered that it started at six, and Tony had muttered something about ordering a suit. But Peter didn’t think that he would  _ also _ be getting a suit-- at least, not one this nice. 

He’d never worn a suit before. The most dressed up he’d ever been was for a school recital two years ago, where he had to wear a pair of slacks and a white button-down. This outfit was far from a dress shirt and pants. 

Almost afraid to touch the clothing bag, Peter unhooks it from his doorframe and lays it carefully on his bed. Standing back, he surveyed the bag, noticing the name stitched onto the thin material; a last name that was scrawled in cursive and was far too French for Peter to make out. He immediately assumed that the suit cost a bigger sum than he was even able to imagine. 

“Oh, good, so you weren't the only one to get something.”   

Peter spun around to see Evelyn behind him and staring at his new suit. 

“He wants me to wear a velvet suit,” Peter says, pointing at the clothing bag.  

“It’s velvet?!” Evelyn exclaims, rushing towards the bed and ripping open the material. Her eyes widen at the suit. “Oh my god…” 

“It’s gorgeous,” Peter peers down over her shoulder. 

Evelyn’s hand hovers over the jacket like she wants to touch it, but is afraid too. “I never thought I’d ever see something like this in person.” 

“What did he get you?” 

She immediately straightens, giving her brother a look of disbelief. “Pepper must have picked it out. It’s gorgeous. Like… do you remember those photos of Mom on her wedding day? In that dress that belonged to Grandma?” 

Of course, Peter remembers those photos-- Evelyn had one of their parents under the alter framed and sitting on her dresser. Leah was wearing this lacy, off cream dress that pooled around her feet. He remembered seeing those pictures for the first time at five years old and being in awe. His dad caught him then, but Richard just smiled and told Peter that Leah was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

At that moment, Peter couldn’t have agreed more. 

“Totally,” Peter says. 

“Peter, I think Pepper might have bought me a wedding dress.” 

Peter’s face screwed up in puzzlement, “What?” 

“Just-- uh, come look.” 

Together they make their way into Evelyn’s room, and he immediately spots the dress. It’s hanging in the bathroom door frame much like his suit was, and he can recognize the confusion between it and their mother’s wedding dress. 

It is quite pretty. The dress itself is the same cream hue, and the skirt is long; it will most likely fall around Evelyn’s ankles when she wears it later. The top is sleeveless and simple, while the skirt is just layer upon layer of shimmery, sheer fabric. The bottom of the dress has hundreds of flowers in various sizes and colors stitched into the material. 

The flowers and blossoms stretch up and cover the skirt. Now that he is looking closer, Peter can even see tiny green leaves stitched into the waistline. 

“Wedding dress or not,” Peter starts, “it’s still amazing.” 

“It came with these,” Evelyn walks into her closet and comes back out with a pair of heeled shoes the same color as the dress. That just made Peter wonder if there were shoes waiting for him in his closet. 

That’s when Tony came strutting into the room. “Ah, good, you found the clothes.” 

“Tony,” Evelyn says, her heels still in her hand, “We can’t wear these.” 

“What? Why not? Oh, no, do they not fit? Because I had FRIDAY send your measurements to the tailor--” 

“No, no, I’m sure they fit, it’s just…” 

“They’re really fancy,” Peter finishes for his sister. 

Tony looks relieved, “Oh, is that all? Yeah, if you didn’t notice, some prissy French guy made them. I can’t even pronounce his name. Pepper picked out your’s, Eve--” 

“How much did all of this cost?” Peter suddenly spits out. 

Tony stares at the boy for a second before his lips press together uncomfortably. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter says, his voice small and head shrinking into his shoulders, “that was rude.” 

“It was. I thought I told you guys not to ask how much stuff cost. You don’t need to worry anymore, okay? That’s my problem and not for kids to fret about.” 

The twins both just nod quickly. 

“Sorry,” they both mutter at the same time. 

Tony shakes his head, a small smile blooming on his lips. “God, you two are too much. Okay, we are running out of time, so, Pete. Back in your room. Ev, Pepper will be up soon. We gotta get moving and quickly, or else we will be late to our own gala.” 

  
  


….

  
  


Three and a half hours later, Peter and Tony are standing in the lobby of the compound, waiting for Pepper and Evelyn to join them so they could depart. Happy already had a car pulled up outside. 

Peter was wearing his blue, velvet suit. It was paired with a black dress shirt, black tie, and dress shoes made of patent black leather. He had wanted to gel his hair down, but Tony had convinced him otherwise, so he just ran a comb through it earlier. The baby hairs curled around his ears and he couldn’t find a comfortable place to put his hands. 

Tony’s suit was basically a copy of Peter’s, although the only difference was that his was a deep red color. Not too bright, but not too subtle to blend in. Tony Stark simply couldn’t blend in. He had also paired the whole outfit with a pair of gold-tinted sunglasses. Peter couldn't help but think that the man looked sharp. 

Suddenly, the sound of two different sets of  _ click clicks  _ had Peter and Tony both turning their heads. 

Evelyn and Pepper were stepping out of the elevator, and the first thing that Peter thought was,  _ Oh my god, she looks just like Mom.  _

Evelyn was wearing the dress, and with the heels on, it fell just at her ankles; the skirt flowing around her feet like water over rocks. Her hair had been pinned up in some sort of half up half down style, and the loose hair had been curled and fell down her back. 

She wore these gold earrings and matching bracelets around her wrists, and for the first time in her life, she had on makeup. 

“You look like Mom,” Peter said as soon as she was close enough. 

Evelyn surveyed him. “You look like a movie star.” 

“Pep,” Tony breathed beside them. Apparently Pepper continued to take Tony’s breath away no matter how many times he saw her. “You look amazing.” 

She smiled, “I can say the same about you.” 

They kiss quickly before Pepper mutters something about time, and then everyone was leaving the building and piling into the limousine. Happy says something along the lines of, “Well, don’t we all look nice,” and then the car starts rolling down the driveway. 

At first, everyone’s quiet, each hiding away in their thoughts; Happy was playing  _ Led Zeppelin, _ or  _ AD/DC, _ or something like that from the front of the vehicle. 

But fifteen minutes into the drive, Evelyn’s voice breaks into Peter’s daydreams.  

“So… are we your kids tonight?” 

Tony and Pepper exchange a glance, and then both look back to the girl. 

“What do you mean, Kiddo?” Tony asks. 

“Um, are we like… are we telling people that we’re going to adopted by you guys, or do we come up with some other cover story? Like, maybe we’re just your interns or something.” 

“I guess it’s up to you,” Tony says, both of the adults showing friendly smiles. 

“We are okay with it if you are,” Pepper adds. 

“We were planning on it at some point,” Tony finishes. 

Peter didn’t disapprove of the idea. At this point, he would probably be okay with anything-- he didn’t think his life could get any more insane. He shot his sister a glance, and they somehow had an entire conversation with a few looks over four seconds. 

“Is this some kind of twin telepathy thing?” Tony asks. 

Peter laughs, “I think that’s made up.” 

“So, do you want to?” Pepper cuts in. 

Peter smiles towards his sister, and gives a little shrug, “You think?” 

Evelyn nods her head, mocking professionalism. “Twin telepathy says… yes, that might be an okay idea.”  

 

  
….

  
  
The car pulled up outside the biggest and fanciest hotel Peter had ever laid eyes on. 

The whole thing was lit up with lights hidden in intricate gardens, and the front door was located at the end of an  _ actual red carpet.   _

_“What the hell,”_ Peter muttered in disbelief as he stared out the window. 

The velvet path was bordered by a mob of suited people with cameras, and they were all staring at the limousine in anticipation. The doors to the hotel were thrown open, and inside, Peter could tell something lively was happening, judging by the colorful lights and bass of the music that thumped into the car.  

“The paparazzi are monsters,” Tony says, unbuckling his seat. “But you’ll learn to navigate them and their invasive questions. Just stick with us, and you’ll be fine.” 

Both of the kids gave short nods, and then the door was being opened, and the music increased in volume ten-fold. 

Tony was the first to step out, and as soon as the patent leather of his dress shoe caught the light, voices and camera flashes exploded from every angle. He just stood professionally and waved to the crowd, waiting for the rest of his party to follow him. 

“Tony!” About a million voices shout at the limo. “Tony, Tony! Over here!” 

Pepper is out next, and the yelling gets louder. Now people are calling a mixture of the two names. 

“Pepper! Tony! Pepper! Tony! Pepper!...” 

The couple stands tall, looking like supermodels from where Peter still observed them in the car. Tony wrapped an arm around Pepper’s waist and kissed her cheek, and the paparazzi had a collective heart attack. 

Peter looked at his sister. Her fingers were playing with her unbuckled seat belt, the same anxious feelings drumming over her nerves and dancing through her stomach that he was feeling. 

So, because he was the big brother, he took the plunge. 

The heat outside the car was almost suffocating, but maybe that was just the overwhelming sounds of reporters still screaming unanswered questions at the couple standing before Peter. He tries not to physically wince at the assault his ears were feeling.  

“This is insane,” Evelyn whispers, and Peter almost jumps because his sister is now standing right beside him. 

He would normally be able to hear her sneaking up on him in any other circumstances, but now, his senses were overloaded. 

And then Tony and Pepper were moving. They walked as one unit along the shimmering, red carpet, and stopped about halfway down, posing for the billion photos being taken at once. 

People with shiny hair and crisp clothing started yelling at them. 

“How is engaged life treating you two?” 

“Pepper, who are you wearing?” 

“Tony, who are  _ you _ wearing?” 

“Pepper, are you finding it hard to keep up with your lifestyle despite the pressure being put on you as CEO of an international company?”

The couple just smiled, not reacting to the questions; both of them looking incredibly done with this already. 

Finally, Tony turned to the twins and made a gesture to invite them to join for the photo session. But of course, this only drew attention to the teenagers, and as if they were a hive mind, every single reporter swiveled on spot to stare at the siblings.   

Peter could feel the heat rising up his neck, and his skin burned.  _ Damn it, Peter, stop blushing. They’re taking photos of you.  _

Now the paparazzi went absolutely ape shit. 

Peter felt glued to the spot, but he could then feel Evelyn nudging him forward, and they both started walking towards their parental-figures. Pepper and Tony smiles brightly and watched the twins inch slowly down the velvet pathway. 

“Tony, who are these two guests you have brought?” One voice yells out, and Tony wraps an arm around Peter’s shoulder. 

Evelyn takes a respective place standing beside Pepper.  

Tony finally decides to answer a question, “Well, actually,” everyone falls silent as they listen, “to put it briefly, this is Peter and Evelyn, and they are being adopted by Pepper and me.” 

A hundred new questions are yelled out, but Tony puts his hand in the universal gesture of  _ good-bye.  _ He then starts to walk towards the entrance of the hotel, taking his family along with him. 

“That is certainly enough questions,” Tony whispers to Peter as the four of them climb the stairs of the venue. 

“But you only answered one.” 

Tony chuckles, “Like I said, Kid. Paparazzi is nuts. And now that they have your name, you will have to learn how to work with them.” 

Peter gulped, “Don’t know how I like the sounds of that.” 

Tony laughed again. “Don't worry, Pete, it all comes with time and practice. Time and practice.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So school has started and writer's block is currently kicking my ass, so I'm sorry that this is out later than usual.   
> Hoping to write a chapter from Tony's POV soon, but we'll have to see. With the way this story is flowing, it just makes more sense to write for Ev and Peter. 
> 
> Also, I have nothing against charity gala's (especially since I've never been to one); that was just my own social anxiety and dislike for large crowds slipping into my writing. 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week.


	24. Twenty-four: Evelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn could feel her dancing come to halt when she realized people were looking at her, and Peter stopped doing the Sprinkler when he noticed. 
> 
> “Hey, you okay?” He asked, sounding concerned. 
> 
> Evelyn’s eyes snapped to his, brown meeting blue. “Yes, I’m fine. Just thirsty.” She says, throwing out quick white lie.

As much as Evelyn appreciated being out of view from the cameras and paparazzi outside, she didn’t think inside was much better. 

The whole room was lit up in purple lights, long, glittering silver decorations hanging from the ceiling and spinning slowly. The bass of the music drummed steadily through the floor and up into Evelyn’s legs like a heartbeat. 

People were everywhere, and the heat was almost stifling. The crowd that gathered around the front doors were shoulder to shoulder and Evelyn could hardly see past the tall forest of glamorous guests. 

“You’ll get used to it,” Pepper whispers into her ear, a smile set firmly on the woman’s face. 

Evelyn feels like she has to scream over the music. “Do I have to?” 

Pepper just laughs. 

Suddenly, there is a hand on Evelyn’s back, and she feels herself being pushed through the crowd by Tony along with Peter. 

“Excuse us!” Tony announces, but it seems to fall on deaf ears as no one moves.

So instead, the twins are dragged towards the center of the room, weaving through the other guests as if they are a maze they don’t have the map to. It takes longer than it should have, but eventually, they exit the large crowd and the open space greets them with a wave of fresh air. 

Now that she can actually see, Evelyn assumes that the ballroom they are in is about the size of a football field. In the middle of the room is a huge dance floor, and above is a disco ball reflecting tiny spots of light all over the room. 

Surprisingly, there are actually people dancing on the floor. Or not as much dancing as they are mingling while swaying to the beat. Every single person seems to be holding a drink of some kind, and they all look giddy and slightly intoxicated. 

On the far back wall is a large stage that is hosting a band, which is the source of the music. There always seemed to be something new to look at at this event, and Evelyn can’t help but feel the tiniest bit overwhelmed. 

“Evelyn!” 

Evelyn’s head turns towards the call and she sees her family sitting at a table close by. She hadn’t even realized they had walked away. 

She makes her way over and sits down next to Peter. The table has a tiny, golden sign in the middle saying,  _ RESERVED.  _

“This is ours?” She asks, getting comfortable. 

“Call it home base,” Tony says, leaning forward on an elbow. He smiles, and the lights from the disco ball suddenly catch in his glasses. 

“No paparattzi?” Peter asks, sounding cautious like the reporters might burst out of the crowd and attack him. 

Tony shakes his head, “Nope. No paparazzi. They usually don’t get invited to these things. The guests normally find it too invasive.” 

Pepper snorts, “Lord, I wonder where anyone got that idea.” 

Eventually, Pepper leaves go and mingle with some other business tycoons she hopes to possibly partner with, and when Tony suddenly stands, Peter actually lunges towards him and grabs a hold of his hand. 

“Woah, Bud, calm down,” Tony said with a smile and places his hand over Peter’s. 

“Where are you going?” Peter asks. 

“I’m getting drinks,” Tony assures, “what do you guys want?” 

The twins stare at him for a second with puzzlement. 

“What do they have?” Evelyn asks. 

“Anything.” 

_ “Anything?” _ Evelyn and Peter say unison. 

Tony chuckles softly. “Yeah, probably.” 

“Uh…” Peter starts, “Sprite! No, no, uh… Coke! No--” 

Tony sighs, “Pete, just pick one.” 

“Coke,” Peter says firmly. 

“Awesome, for you, Ev?” 

“Pepsi,” Evelyn says, “please.” 

Now it was Tony’s turn to snort. “Coke and Pepsi? Seriously? God, you two really are a riot.” 

Tony leaves swiftly, darting around people like it was some weird art that he had perfected, as he makes his way towards the busy bar. 

“So,” Peter says and leans back in his chair. “This is the weirdest party we’ve ever been to.” 

“Peter,” Evelyn starts, only the slightest hint of a smile. “This is the  _ only party _ we’ve been to.” 

“Hey! Not true,” Peter replies defensively, “We’ve been to a ton of parties. I can count at least sixteen birthdays between the two of us.” 

Evelyn smiles now. “I don’t know if four people around a table count as a party. At least, not to this caliber.” 

Peter smiles, but something about it is sad. “I still loved them nonetheless." 

Evelyn doesn't say anything in return, she just nods. She loved them too.  

Most of their birthdays in their early years are really blurry for her, as is a lot of her early life. She can remember key moments: their Mom making a cake and always giving it a creative decoration in colourful icing. Their Dad always giving them something fun for a present -- one year they both got bikes and he took them down to the park and taught them how to ride. Their Mom’s gorgeous voice singing happy birthday to them as the candles slowly burned out. Their Dad tackling them in hugs and giving them big kisses on their cheeks as they giggled in amusement. 

Birthday’s after Leah and Richard died were bleak at first. May always made a cake, but it was never as good as their Mom’s (Evelyn would never tell her that). Richard would hang up decorations around the apartment, and then they would all have fun tearing them down later. But then May and Ben were gone, and the twins were shipped off to live with a woman that both of them hardly knew. 

Birthdays at Jen’s… well, birthdays at Jen’s were practically nonexistent. 

“I am back,” Tony announces suddenly, snapping Evelyn from her thoughts. “And I bring gifts.” 

He puts the drinks down in front of siblings, and they both smile in return. 

“It’s hilarious that you two chose drinks from competing brands,” Tony says as he sits down with his own drink. “But whatever. Perks of an open bar.” 

“Thanks,” Evelyn says, taking a sip. 

“Oh, don’t thank me,” Tony chuckles, “Thank Larry, the bartender.” 

“Well, thanks to Larry.” 

They sit there for a while, just enjoying each other's company and commenting on the other guests who have filtered through. Pepper seems deeply immersed in a conversation at a distant table, and she plays entertainer for a whole group of dressed-up people. 

Eventually though, Tony has to leave because the party has asked him to make a speech up on stage. 

“Go and have fun,” he says to his kids before leaving. “Get a drink, or go dancing, or even mingle. I don’t care as long as you two are  _ out of these seats.  _ I’ll meet you back here after I’m done, okay?” 

The twins just give him small nods. Tony gives an exasperated laugh and makes his way towards the backstage. 

After a few seconds, Peter looks to his sister and asks the question that neither of them wants to answer. “Wanna dance?” 

Evelyn is quiet for a beat before saying, “Yes.” 

Both of them would have been perfectly happy staying at the table for the rest of the evening. By now, word had definitely spread that they were Tony and Pepper’s kids, and they had definitely noticed people giving them long glances as they pass by. 

Getting onto the dance floor would only draw even more attention to themselves. But Tony wants them to do  _ something, _ so they didn’t really have a choice in the matter. 

Slowly, they stand and move towards the dance floor. Tony would be giving his speech in about eight minutes, which was good for about two songs worth of dancing. 

“You good?” Peter asks once they are standing under the disco ball. 

“Yeah,” Evelyn says, shaking her shoulders. “Just gotta figure out how to dance in these heels.” 

“You’re a good dancer, you’ll work it out.” 

Peter starts shimmying to the beat, and even though it didn’t look like dancing, Evelyn was still surprised how easily he moved in front of all of these strangers. With a laugh, Evelyn copied his movements, and together they both loosened up and began to dance more naturally.   

Dancing in the heels wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be, and they laughed as their moves became more erratic and fun. 

“How did Mr. Two-left-feet learn to dance?” Evelyn shouts over the song. 

“Excuse you, I am a fantastic dancer and you know it!” 

“Yeah right! You can’t dance to save our lives. If we are ever in a dance battle to save the galaxy, I’m taking over!” 

“You just have to pretend that we are home alone. No strangers to watch us. We just have fun!” 

Evelyn grinned. “The only thing that would make this better is Freddie Mercury!”  

And as if the band was listening to their conversation, the next song was “Don’t Stop Me Now” and the twins whooped and cheered as the music took off. 

Peter’s advice was helping, and the world seemed to wash away as Evelyn moved with the music. They were halfway into the song when the illusion shattered. 

Evelyn opened her eyes to see three women standing to the side of the dance floor and staring at her and Peter with judgemental eyes. They seemed to be talking to each other in a strange huddle, and every few seconds their gazes would dart back to the twins. 

Evelyn could feel her dancing come to halt when she realized people were looking at her, and Peter stopped doing the Sprinkler when he noticed. 

“Hey, you okay?” He asked, sounding concerned. 

Evelyn’s eyes snapped to his, brown meeting blue. “Yes, I’m fine. Just thirsty.” She says, throwing out quick white lie. 

“Oh, me too, actually,” Peter says, “let’s get a drink.” 

“Sure,” Evelyn replies and she allows her brother to lead them off the dance floor. The women’s gazes burn into her back the whole way over. 

“Two waters, please,” Peter asks when they get to the bar. 

A red-headed bartender wearing a purple suit vest looks the boy up and down, before putting his rag down and getting to work without response. Peter sits down on one of the barstools and pats the empty seat next to him, inviting his sister over. 

Evelyn takes the seat, but a part of her can’t help but feel like people are watching her every movement.

The bartender places the two waters down in front of them, and Evelyn notices that his name tag reads, Larry. 

“Thanks,” Peter says and takes his glass. 

Evelyn only gets one sip in before feeling the need to escape. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said suddenly and stands up. 

Peter just stares at her. “Okay.” 

“Be back soon,” she mutters as she speedwalks towards the bathrooms. 

Once inside, she makes a beeline towards the farthest stall and locks the door behind her, only then feeling safe. He back rests against the cool, tiled wall, and she allows herself to finally take a deep breath.

But her salvation is short-lived before the washroom door opens and two different sets of shoes come walking in. Evelyn can tell that the women have stopped in front of the sinks because a tap runs shortly, and no stalls open. 

“Can you believe, Stark?” One voice asks. 

“I know, this adoption thing is ridiculous,” the second voice responds.

Evelyn draws in a breath, knowing to keep quiet as the women obviously don’t know she was there. 

“Like, he can’t think that this will really get his ratings back up,” the first voice comments. 

“You think that’s what he’s doing?” 

“Oh, that’s definitely what he’s doing. After the Avengers broke up and his publicity seemed to drop, he of course had to think up some crazy scheme to get back in the magazines.” The voice pauses for a second. “And did you see those kids of his? Rat faced as ever, and I thought my step-kids were ugly.” 

“But it would only make sense for him to take in ratty teenagers. More sympathy for them, and then in turn, more for him and his image.” 

“Definitely. But he must have some big hope in these kids to boost his ratings. I mean, Pepper is an idiot, but she’s not  _ that _ stupid. If these children were not totally worthless, she would have never gone with it.” 

“They are really ready to try anything, aren't they?”

“Absolutely, but as soon as this whole plan of theirs fails, they’re shipping those twins off to the closest orphanage they can get their hands on. Wouldn’t want those two inheriting the family fortune.” 

“What a disgrace…” 

And then the voices were gone, but Evelyn hadn’t realized that the women had left until minutes later. Her back was still firmly pressed to the wall; hot tears streaming down her face and surly ruining her makeup. 

So as soon as she knew she was alone, she wiped at the tears and bolted from the bathroom, just needing to see a face that she recognized.  

She found her family sitting at their table, all engaged in a conversation; Tony seeming down with his speech, and Pepper done with entertaining business people. 

“Ev,” Tony greets, not really looking at his daughter, “you missed my speech, Kiddo. Was a real crowd pleaser!” 

Evelyn just stands and stares at the three people she called her family. Her chest twisting painfully as she tries to hold back sobs. 

“What’s wrong?” Peter asks, all of them giving her a look of concern. 

“N--nothing. Can we just go home?” She asks, her voice wavering. 

“Of course,” Tony says without a moment's hesitation. “We were thinking about heading home anyway.”

Everyone stands from their chairs, and make their way towards the front door, Peter wrapping an arm around his sister’s shoulders. She leans into his embrace and they make their way out of the venue as a small group. 

Evelyn makes sure to hold back her tears, and even when they're sitting in the car, driving towards Upstate, does she not let any fall. Thankfully, no one pushes questions on the trip home, but that doesn't mean that Evelyn avoids the concerned glances from Peter and Tony. 

Instead, she just curls up against the leather seat and watches the world flash by out the window, the whole thing dissolving into a long and dull blur of lights. 

  
  


….

  
  


When they get home, it’s reaching 11 o’clock, and Evelyn felt emotionally drained.

She could feel the dried tears still clinging to her cheeks, although the urge to cry had left her somewhere on the drive home. 

“Wanna watch a movie?” Peter asks in a soft voice while they stand in the elevator. 

Evelyn looks at him, her eyes tired and she notices that Tony and Pepper were also giving her strange glances. She then remembers that they didn’t even know the reason why she had asked them to leave the gala in the first place. 

So instead of staring at her adoptive-parent’s concerned expressions, she looks back to her brother and his attempts to comfort. 

She wants to tell him, but the thought makes her wants to burst back into tears. She wants to tell him every single thing she’s thinking,  _ I was right, Pete. Tony and Pepper don’t want us. We’re a charity case, and won’t be anything more until we’re useless to them.  _

But instead, she holds her solid expression and says, “No thanks.” 

When the doors finally slide open, Evelyn makes to her bedroom, mattering a small, “Goodnight,” as she darts away from her family. No one tries to stop her, and she’s thankful for that. 

When finally in her room, she changes from the formal outfit and trades it for a pair of pajamas. It takes her a good five minutes to find a cloth in her bathroom, and then another fifteen to fully deconstruct her hair and makeup. 

Once in bed though, sleep feels unattainable. She lays on her back and stares at the ceiling, the whole room cast in the familiar pink glow from the lamp on her desk. After what feels like hours, she turns to look at her clock. 

12:42 a.m.

Evelyn sighed and pulled back her blankets, deciding that laying here was pointless. 

_ I’m gonna die of boredom,  _ she thinks as she starts to gather things from around the room.  _ Might as well do something good with my time.  _

  
  


….

  
  


“What are you doing?” 

Evelyn jumps in her chair, the new voice seeming to come out of nowhere. Her head whipped towards the source of the sound, and she notices Natasha standing not far away from where she was seated. 

_ “Jesus,”  _ Evelyn gasps, “you scared the crap out of me.” 

Nat doesn't snicker like Peter or Tony might’ve after she said that. Instead, the woman just stares at Evelyn sitting at the breakfast bar, with her laptop and books sprawled out in front of her. 

“What are you doing?” She asks again. 

“Studying,” Evelyn says. 

“For what? Do you have exams?” 

“Well yes, soon… but I’m not studying for that.” 

Nat now looked perplexed, but she walks over and stands on the other side of the bar so Evelyn and she are only about a foot or two apart. 

“Is this… are you studying sign language?” Nat asks, picking up one of the books and flipping through the pages that show diagrams of the alphabet in hand signals.

Evelyn nods, “I have a friend that’s deaf and I would like to talk to him better. My other friend already knows ASL, but she’s not always there to interpret.”

Natasha suddenly starts signing something so quickly that Evelyn’s hardly trained eyes couldn’t even keep up. 

“What does that mean?” Evelyn asks when Nat lets her hands settle. 

“I said: I can help you learn if you would like.” 

“You know sign?” 

Nat nods. “Clint’s partially deaf, but I also had to learn it with part of my training. I’m fluent in most languages.”  

“You can teach me?” Evelyn asks eagerly. 

Nat shrugs, “If you want.” 

“Yeah, that would be awesome.” 

They start practicing. Natasha shows Evelyn a word and then has her repeat it back. Soon enough, they are speaking full sentences with just their hands. About half an hour later, Nat is standing over the stovetop, a kettle of water starting to boil when Evelyn thinks back to the evening prior. 

“Nat?” She asks, her voice soft as she debates whether or not to bring this up. But something in her head tells her that Nat is trustworthy, so she goes for it. “Do you think I’m rat-faced?” 

Nat turns from where she was standing to stare at the girl, her expression puzzled. “No. I think you have a very attractive face. Why would you ask that?” 

Evelyn chews on her bottom lip, her thumb playing with the pages of an open book nervously. “Just something I heard earlier… at the gala.” 

Nat’s eyes narrowed, something almost protective kicking into her features. “What did you hear?” 

“I… uh… well, Tony and Pepper announced that Peter and I were going to be adopted by them, and in the bathroom I heard…” Her voice trails as it seemed to catch in her chest. She didn’t want to actually say it out loud.  

“You can tell me,” Nat said, stepping forward and leaning towards Evelyn. Her face is soft; her eyes inviting. “I’m practically the world’s best secret keeper.” 

“I heard these women saying that Tony wanted us for nothing more than publicity. That we were charity cases, and we would get him sympathy, but as soon as we were worthless, he would send us back to the home.” 

Nat’s face stays calm, but Evelyn notices the hurt and anger that floods into the woman’s eyes. A tear rolls down Evelyn’s cheek and she swats at it quickly. 

“Evelyn,” Nat starts, “what those women said was absolutely not true. Absolutely. They have no idea who you two are. They are just unhappy with their own miserable lives, so to make themselves feel better, they put down people who aren't there to defend themselves. You can’t believe what they say, because Tony and Pepper love you two.” 

Evelyn freezes, “They love us?” 

Nat smiles, “Of course they do. They wouldn’t want to become your parents if they didn’t.” 

“No one has loved us since our Aunt and Uncle passed.” 

Nat takes Evelyn’s hand softly and runs a thumb over the girl’s knuckles. “Well they do, and so does everyone else, so you two better get used to it.” 

Evelyn feels warmth flooded her chest; a feeling that she had almost forgotten the sensation of. She had a family. Her and Peter  _ had a family. _

“Thank you,” Evelyn whispers. 

“Don’t mention it.”

 

….

 

Evelyn wakes the next morning to her phone practically ringing itself off her nightstand. With a groan, she rolls over and answers before even looking at the caller ID. 

“Hello?” She asks with a grumble. 

“WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE TONY STARK’S DAUGHTER?!”  

Evelyn has to hold her phone away from her ear as she feels her eardrums exploding. Once the screaming had stopped, she mutters into the phone, “Wait-- who is this?” 

“It’s Francis, who did you think it was?” 

Now that Evelyn knew who was calling, she could pick up on the Bristish accent and poise that Francis never really tried to hide in his words. 

“What time is it?” Evelyn asks. 

“To late.” 

“Francis… it’s like, 6:30.” 

“I KNOW! I found out you were an heiress like, an hour ago, and totally refrained myself.” 

Evelyn almost laughs, “I’m not an heiress. How did you even find out?” 

“Twitter. It’s trending. Pictures of you and Peter, and can I just say that you look phenomenal! But… yeah. Everyone is talking about it.”

Evelyn’s eyes widen and the panic sets in, but she just has to remind herself that she signed up for this. She knew it was coming, but that didn’t mean she was ready for it. 

“Francis, can we talk about this more in person?” Evelyn asks, “I may be half asleep.” 

Francis sighed loudly but complied, “Fine. But you tell me everything.” 

“Yes. Got it.” 

He was gone before she could even say goodbye. 

The next time Evelyn woke up that morning, every part of her felt lethargic since she had gotten so little sleep the night before, yet she still dragged herself out of bed and got ready for the day. 

When she left her room to make towards the elevator, she found a note taped to the outside of her door. 

 

_ Ev,  _

_ Nat talked to me about what you told her last night. I’m incredibly sorry you had to hear that. I want to talk to you soon, but I had to get to the office early. Have a good day at school.  _

_ \-- Tony _

 

Evelyn just snickered to herself. “World’s best secret keeper my ass.” 

 

….

 

As soon as Peter and Evelyn got to school, before doing anything else, Evelyn tracked down Avi. 

He was sitting outside in the main plaza with Sadie. As soon as he saw her running towards them, he smiled and waved. But instead of waving back, Evelyn skids to a stop in front of her two friends and watches her hands as she carefully signs a sentence that Nat was helping her with earlier.  

_ I am… learning to… sign. What do… you… think?  _

It took her longer to say then she wanted, but Avi’s brown eyes never left her hands, and when she finished, he flashed her a grin full of pearly teeth. 

He then signed something back that she did understand from her studying. 

_ I love it.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have too much to say about this chapter, so I'm not gonna say anything at all. 
> 
> But, I have realized that I am falling more in love my OC's every time I write for them. 
> 
> My tumblr: https://14million-constellations.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week.


	25. Twenty-five: Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “FRIDAY is a miracle, Kid. Let me know just as you started having a panic attack. Hoping I can stop it before it gets bad.” 
> 
> “You’re already helping,” Peter’s breath suddenly catches on a sob, and he can’t help the tears that roll down his cheeks. “Tony, things have gotten so weird.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the incredibly long hiatus. Was never ready to give this story up, but life just got crazy.

When Evelyn had told Peter over breakfast about what had happened with Francis’ call, he had thought she was over exaggerating. 

_ “I’m the over exaggerator, Ev,” he had commented before taking a bite of cereal. “This is a strange change of pace.”  _

_ She had ignored him. Her laptop was open on the tabletop. On the screen, she had about a million different tabs open, each one showing a different article or gossip page talking about Tony and his ‘new additions’.  _

_ “How are you two on this fine morning?” Clint asks sarcastically, walking into the kitchen and rubbing his eyes.  _

_ “I have a feeling you really don’t want an answer to that,” Evelyn mutters.  _

_ “And yet I just got one,” Clint says, turning on the coffee machine and grunting in satisfaction when it starts to rumble. He turns and spies Evelyn with her nose almost pressed against her computer screen. “You know, that’s bad for your eyes.”  _

_ “She’s obsessed,” Peter says, watching the clock. They had to be leaving soon.  _

_ “With what?”  _

_ “Us.”  _

_ Clint snorts. The coffee machine beeps. “Oh, the joy of teenagers,” he mutters. He pours himself a cup, and then he was gone.  _

_ Peter looks at his sister. “Come on. School.”  _

_ He snaps the laptop closed before she could interject. She just frowns, but Peter is already walking towards the elevator.  _

_ “I’m right, you know,” she calls after him. “The world is obsessed with us for some reason. It’s crazy. You’re just afraid to admit it.”  _

_ Peter just nodded his head. “Uh-huh. Sure.”  _

Now they were standing on school grounds, and Peter wished he had taken a little more time to do his hair before he left. Every single person on campus -- which was a lot -- were staring at the two of them.  __

Happy was already too far down the road for Peter to flag him down and ask to be driven back home, so he was left staring down a couple of thousand other sets of eyes. 

Beside him, Evelyn looked unaffected, which was odd. Peter and she were quite alike, and this was one of their similarities; both of them shied away from unexpected attention. So either she was incredibly prepared for this situation, or something else was so prominent in her mind that she didn’t even notice. 

Apparently it was the later. 

She starts to speed walk away from Peter, but he reaches out quickly and grabs her elbow without missing a beat. 

“What?” She asks, sounding annoyed.  

He tries to use her as a human shield from the onlookers. “Where are you going?” 

“To see a friend.” 

“A friend?” 

“Peter,” she practically whines. “I don’t have time for this. I gotta find Avi.” 

A vague recognition of the name enters Peter’s mind, and he thinks that she might’ve mentioned this person on a separate occasion. 

“Oh, okay,” he says, trying to hide his disappointment. “Meet at lunch?” 

“Of course.” 

“Cool, okay. Have fun.” Peter lets go of her elbow, and she bounds down the pathway towards the courtyard, still not noticing the immense amount of attention. 

Peter draws in one long breath and starts towards the front doors. Maybe if he could just get to his locker and then homeroom, he would be okay. But as he walked, groups of students whispered and stared. He tried to be friendly, nodding and waving at strangers. 

Only a few smiled back, and when he suddenly gets a group of students to glare at him, he ducks his head and picks up pace. 

Once inside, he runs into the bathroom, which is luckily empty. He pulls out his headphones and turns on the first album in his library. The volume goes all the way up in hopes to drown out the whispers, but with his stupid super-hearing, it only puts it on a damper. 

Not even  _ AC/DC _ could make this go away. 

 

….

 

“What the hell happened to you?” 

Peter looked over to see MJ standing next to him. He had been trying to hide in the back of the classroom, but either the other students didn’t know the news, or they just didn’t care. Either way, he had been spending the last five minutes in wonderful, screamo filled, unbothered silence. 

“What?” He asked, taking out his earbuds. 

“Jesus,” she says, turning on his phone. “Who the hell is shredding their vocal cords on your phone?” 

“Don’t know,” Peter mutters weakly, “just someone who enjoys screaming. AC/DC wasn’t cutting it anymore.” 

MJ smiles, “That kinda morning, huh?” 

“Why do you say?” 

“You look like shit.” 

Peter tried to muster up a decent smile. “Thanks. Means a lot.” 

“Don’t mention it.” 

MJ sits in her desk and pulls out her textbook. She then takes a pen that was tucked into her ponytail and flips to the back cover of the book. The pages had been vandalized with all sorts of doodles and writing from the past years, and she immediately starts adding her own.

Peter watches her draw for a minute before asking, “So, I guess you don’t know.” 

“Of course I know,” she said without looking up. “Trending on every platform. Retweeted by everyone. Plus, Ned called me at like, four, and shouted my ear off. You’ve got it coming next period.” 

“But…” Peter was confused. “You’re treating me normal.” 

MJ flashes him a glance. “Of course, Parker.” 

“Everyone else looks at me like I’m a ghost or something. Like I grew a second head.” 

MJ chuckles. “People are pathetic. I don’t care who your parents are, Peter. If you told me that you were the son of Bigfoot, I wouldn’t be afraid to ask if I could come over for supper.” 

Peter just stares at her. 

“I just mean… look, being Stark’s kid doesn't mean I have to treat you like Stark’s kid, okay?” 

Peter nods. “Thank’s MJ.” 

She smiles and goes back to doodling without another word.  

 

….

 

Peter wished the rest of the day could be like that. 

Ned practically jumped on him when Peter walked into his next class. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god oh my--” 

Ned rambled at increasing levels of volume. From beside them, MJ mouthed,  _ “Good luck.”  _

But that wasn’t the worst of it. Peter could live with Ned’s constant questions during class. Even after the teacher had kindly told him to shut it, the boy was passing notes to Peter and watching him until his friend slid back a response. 

When class ended, Peter and Ned made their way out of the classroom and ventured into the bustling hallway. Ned was still talking his ear off when someone bumped into Peter and his textbook abruptly flew out of the boy’s arms. 

Peter was about to reach down to get it, when four other random strangers lunged at the opportunity to pick it up for him. 

“Here,” a small boy smiled, showing off a mouth of large teeth. He gave Peter the book, as he was obviously the lucky one to get it first. 

“Thanks,” Peter says smally, taking it back and watching the small boy hurry away.  

“That was nice,” Ned says, “anyway…” 

Lunch felt dreaded. Every single person in the cafeteria watched him enter, but they luckily lost enough interest to not stare at Peter as he ate his sandwich. Evelyn finally seemed to be picking up on what was going on. 

“Apparently I’m now the funniest person in the world,” she mumbled as she pulls the lid off her pudding. 

“A total riot,” Peter says dryly. 

MJ stands. “Getting vitamin water. Want anything? Ned, strawberry milk?”

Ned smiles. “Yeah. Thanks, MJ.” 

“Whatever, loser,” MJ shoots over her shoulder, already walking away. 

As soon as she is gone, her seat is being filled by a complete stranger. An older boy -- most likely senior -- was grinning in Peter’s direction. He wore a letterman jacket in the school’s flashy colors, and his dark hair was gelled even more than Peter’s. It actually seemed to catch the light. 

“Hey,” the guy said. 

“Hi?” Peter asks. 

Evelyn didn’t say anything. She just stared at Gel Head and the guy who must have been his friend standing behind him. 

“You’re Peter, right?” 

_ Like you didn’t know that.  _

“Yeah.” 

Gel Head stuck out his hand. “I’m Davis. This is my friend, Reed.” Davis jabs a thumb over his shoulder at his friend. “I understand you two are new.” 

“They’ve been here a few weeks,” Ned says, his eyes narrowed. 

“I’m sure you need someone to show you the ropes,” Davis says, leaning forward like he just proposed the best deal of all time. He is met with no response. His grey eyes suddenly dart to Evelyn, and it’s almost like a switch flips in his mind. “How about you, sweetheart… need someone to help you out?” 

The way he said it actually made Peter want to gag, and he was sure that if Tony were here, Davis would be getting a punch to the jaw. 

Evelyn just stared. “You’re in MJ’s seat.” 

Davis laughs. “Didn’t see anyone in it when I sat down.” 

Suddenly, MJ was standing next to him, and she cleared her throat loudly. “Douchebag, look again.” 

Davis just side-eyes her. “Sorry, the seat’s taken.” 

_ “Sorry,” _ MJ says dangerously, leaning close,  _ “look again.  _ They already have friends. Now get up, before I take a chair and we all find out how hollow your head really is.” 

Davis scoffs but moves from the seat. “Whatever,” he mutters and him and Reed wander back into the crowd. 

“That was scary,” Ned says as MJ takes her seat back. 

“My bad. Was trying to go for terrifying,” she slides Ned her milk. He reaches into his bag for money, but she holds up a hand. “Don’t bother. My Mom gave me a fifteen instead of ten this morning.” 

“Who the hell was that?” Evelyn asks, sounding like she might burst out laughing. 

“Stupid Davis,” Ned says, popping open his milk carton. 

“Soccer guys,” MJ says like it explains everything. “Friends with Flash. You want no business with them. They only came by because they now know Tony’s gonna be your dad. They’ll mootch and then throw you to the side.” 

“He sucked,” Peter says picking at his sandwich.

“He probably would have tried to recruit you for the team,” MJ comments. “With you on, more of a chance Stark would buy them stuff.” 

This time, Evelyn actually does burst out laughing. “Peter playing soccer. Now that’s great!” 

She fake wipes a tear from her eye, and laughs so much a few tables near them turn their heads and watch. Peter glares. 

“Well look at that,” he says, “maybe you are the funniest person in the world.” 

 

….

 

Chemistry is what drove him over the edge. 

He made a beeline to his table and sat down without a word to anyone else. He didn’t have any friends in this class, and even the people who were typically really nice all stared at him like he was an alien. 

The girl who he always sat next too, Lyn, sat down shortly after he did. She flashed him a smile and tossed her auburn hair, and then she did something she’d never done before. 

She talked to him. 

“How are you?” she asks, a wide smile stretched over her face. 

It took Peter a second to realize that she was talking to him. “Huh?” 

“How’s your day going?” 

“Oh, uh, fine. How’s yours?” 

“That doesn't matter. Did you do the homework?” 

“Yeah, I did it after--” 

“Of course you did, you’re so smart.” 

Peter shuts his mouth and watches with mild panic as Lyn scoots her stool closer to his and bats her dark eyelashes.  _ Is it just me, or is her eyeliner on extra thick today?  _

“I love the way you talk,” she said slowly, her hand moving slowly towards Peter’s. He watches it glide over the tabletop intensely. “How have we never spoken more, huh? You’re  _ so _ smart.” 

“You already said that,” Peter remarks, stupidly. 

“I only speak the truth, darling,” she says, and then her fingers are walking towards his hand. And then she is touching his knuckles, and her fake nails dance up onto his wrist, then his forearm, then--

Peter stands abruptly before she can get to his inner-elbow. His stool squeals, and heads turn. Flash glares at him. 

“Bathroom,” Peter spits out, “I have to go.” 

He’s running before anyone can give him any permission. 

In a flurry of panic, he is throwing himself into the farthest stall from the door, and sinking to the floor. The space around him is so small, and the air smells too much of disinfectants, and his ears strain for the sounds of anyone following him. 

All he could hear is the echo of a tap dripping, and his own rushed breathing, and his heartbeat pounding through his skull. He could hardly get a grip on the air going into his lungs, and he starts bordering on hyperventilation.   

All he can think about is her hand on his, and her voice making his skin crawl, and Flash glaring as he stands, and-- 

A sudden ringing scares him out of his thoughts and he yelps. Peter fishes his phone out of his back pocket and only minorly calms when he sees Tony’s name on the caller ID. 

“H-hello?” Peter asks, holding the phone and trying to keep himself from crying. 

_ “Pete? You okay, Kiddo?” _

“How did you know I wasn’t?” 

_ “FRIDAY is a miracle, Kid. Let me know just as you started having a panic attack. Hoping I can stop it before it gets bad.”  _

“You’re already helping,” Peter’s breath suddenly catches on a sob, and he can’t help the tears that roll down his cheeks. “Tony, things have gotten so weird.” 

_ “People aren't taking the news great, huh?”  _

“Kids keep staring, and everyone wants to hold my stuff or ask questions. Then this guy tried to get me on the soccer team, and he started hitting on Evelyn--” 

_ “He what?” _

“--but my friend told me that he only wanted your money. Then this girl tells me how smart I am and she touches my arm a lot and I got so scared I ran away and now I’m hiding in the bathroom.” 

_ “Pete, take a breath, Kiddo.”  _

Peter takes a shaky inhale, but that action also just causes more tears to fall, and this time, he audibly sobs. “Tony, this is all so wrong.” 

_ “But it’s what we expected. I know it’s hard now, but it will get better.”  _

“I don’t want to go back to class. I don’t want to see them anymore.” 

_ “I know, Buddy, but I want you to try. If you really can’t do it, I’ll come to get you… but for now, you gotta try. Okay? I believe that you can do it.” _

Peter takes a second, but he eventually nods. “Okay. I can do that.” 

_ “Thanks, Pete. It will get better, trust me.”  _

“I do. I trust you.” 

_ “If I could give you a big hug, I would.”  _

Peter just gives a watery smile. “Trust me, I would too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, so sorry for not updating for over a month. I am hoping to get back into the swing of things now, but my mind has just been other places. Other stuff has been going up though, and I have about a million more plans for what I want up next.   
> Mostly one-shots. Maybe a longer series here or there. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience. Love everyone lots!
> 
> ....
> 
> Kudos make my day, while comments and bookmarks make my week!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, hope you enjoyed.  
> I understand that this isn't strictly IronDad, as I have added an original character of mine. I do plan on writing quite a lot of IronDad, as I am quite a sucker for it, but I do want to write stuff about Tony and Evelyn, as well as Peter and Evelyn, as they are siblings in this AU.  
> Some major background for this AU:  
> This technically takes place after Homecoming, as Peter is fifteen, but before IW. Obviously, Peter had never met Tony, but he was aware of him. (How could he not. It's Tony fricken Stark.) But, spoiler alert, Peter is already SpiderMan. That will be brought up later in the story if I decide to continue. Evelyn is a superhero named Elementa, because she has the powers to control the natural elements around her. (Her superpower origins will also be brought up.)  
> The Avenger's timeline is pretty much the same, except for the fact that Peter wasn't there for the airport battle in Germany. So there will be some conflict between the team, although basically everyone is in the story. 
> 
> Okay, thanks for reading once again. The story is still a work in progress, and I understand if you don't like it because it's not strictly IronDad. But if you decide to stick around and give it a chance, awesome! Welcome aboard!  
> 'Till next time!


End file.
